


Sabbatical

by DontCallMeShirley



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clones, Fix-It, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Obi-Wan & Anakin comic, messing with Sheev Palpatine, return from dark side, saving slaves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22801789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontCallMeShirley/pseuds/DontCallMeShirley
Summary: Anakin decides to leave the Jedi as a child, and Obi-Wan goes with him. When Palpatine sends Dooku to find them, things don't go as planned.
Relationships: Dooku & Anakin Skywalker, Dooku & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 290
Kudos: 660





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I recently read the Obi-Wan & Anakin comic and wondered what would have happened if Anakin had decided to leave. And of course my brain churned out a ridiculous answer because that's the way my brain operates.

Obi-Wan turned to face Anakin, their mission on Carnelion IV now complete. Obi-Wan had told the Republic there might be tibanna gas there so they would occupy the planet while they ran tests, and hopefully give its citizens a chance to step back from their unending war and find common ground. 

Anakin had  _ seemed _ pleased by this outcome, happy that having pull with the Republic allowed Jedi to help in such a hopeless situation. And yet...

“The road lies before you Anakin Skywalker. Will you walk it alone?”

Anakin looked left. Anakin looked right. Finally, he spoke. “Yes.”

Yes? As in yes, he wanted to stay with the Jedi? Or yes, as in he wanted to leave?

Obi-Wan’s confusion must have shown on his face, because Anakin continued. “I--I need to find my own path.”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He took another. He would not hyperventilate. He would  _ not  _ hyperventilate. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He took another deep breath, and tried again.

“Okay. Then where shall we go?”

Anakin’s eyes widened. “We?”

His surprise gave Obi-Wan his first genuine smile in days. Although Anakin loved to brag about his fighting prowess, he was still insecure in many ways. How could he think Obi-Wan would abandon him? “Yes, we. I vowed to train you; plus, you are only 12, which is far too young to wander the galaxy alone. Where would you like to go?”

Anakin stared at him in astonishment for a moment. He blinked. He had clearly never expected this. Then he looked down at his hands. “But you love the Jedi, Master!” he mumbled.

“Perhaps, but you take precedence,” Obi-Wan said.

He digested that in silence for a moment, his cheeks turning pink with pleasure. 

“Well, Chancellor Palpatine said I could have a job with him,” Anakin said pensively, as Obi-Wan’s hackles started to rise. “But I don’t think I want to do that. Though it is flattering.” 

Hmmph.

“And I’ve kind of thought about going back to Naboo,” Anakin continued. Obi-Wan knew all about his crush on Padme. While that would definitely be better than Anakin working for Palpatine (seriously?), he wasn’t sure that was a good idea for either of them to live on the planet where Qui-Gon had been killed. And then of course there would be the embarrassment of having to watch Anakin moon over the queen every day. 

“But that doesn’t seem like the right choice either,” Anakin continued, as Obi-Wan hid his relief. 

He was silent for a few minutes, staring down at his boots while he thought. Finally, he looked up. “Tatooine. I want to go to Tatooine.”

*****

As they descended the gangplank into the Mos Espa spaceport, Obi-Wan Kenobi shaded his eyes. He’d forgotten how bright it was with the two suns. Anakin paid no attention to the suns, or to the sand that had drifted everywhere. He was so excited to see his mother that he hadn’t stopped talking since they’d left the Temple behind and boarded the transport on Coruscant.

As they wended their way out of the spaceport and toward Watto’s junk shop, Anakin’s chatter started to slow. Obi-Wan watched him carefully. “What’s wrong, Anakin?” he finally asked.

They stopped outside of the shop. “I don’t feel my mom’s presence here,” he admitted, tugging on his robes in a fit of nerves.

Obi-Wan laid a warm hand on his padawan’s shoulder. “Remain in the present, Anakin. Let’s go in and see what we can find out,” he suggested.

Watto heard them come in and immediately flew over to greet them, prepared to swindle these newcomers. Then he stopped short. “Little Ani? Is that you?”

Anakin frowned. “Yes,” he said shortly. “Where is my mother?”

Watto looked from him to Obi-Wan and back again. He looked a little uncomfortable. “Well, I sold her.”

“Sold her?” Anakin squawked. 

Obi-Wan put his arm around the boy and drew him close against his side. “Who did you sell her to?” he asked, his face pleasant but his tone sharp. 

“A moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. It was nothing personal, you know,” he said, and Obi-Wan tightened his grip on Anakin to make sure he didn’t launch himself at the Toydarian and pummel him. Not that the guy didn’t deserve it, but still.

“Well get us the address then please,” Obi-Wan said coldly. “Does he live nearby?”

“No, they’re out by Tosche Station.” Obi-Wan closed his eyes and thought about the map of Tatooine he’d studied on the way there. Then he thought about his limited credits.

They were going to need a speeder, he decided, handing the flimsi with Shmi’s new address to Anakin and looking around the junk shop. 

Anakin stood to the side, blinking tears from his eyes, as Obi-Wan and Watto haggled over an old model that was going to need some serious repairs. Watto appeared to feel somewhat guilty, because he finally gave in and let them have it for cheap. Then Obi-Wan drew Anakin out the door and pushed him into the speeder. He still hadn’t said anything, and Obi-Wan expected the outburst to come in three, two, one...

“That sleemo sold my mother! HE SOLD MY MOTHER!” Anakin wailed. 

Obi-Wan held him while he cried. Slavery had always horrified him, but it was so much worse when it was this personal. Once Anakin’s sobs had calmed a bit, he said, “I’m so sorry Anakin. Let’s go out and see this farmer. Perhaps he can be reasoned with.” 

*****

They pulled up to a small homestead, and were surprised by the number of vehicles and people there, considering the remote location. Then, Anakin spotted an old friend.

“C3PO!” 

The copper-colored droid wheeled around and sputtered with delight. “Oh my! It’s Master Ani! The Maker has returned! And on such an auspicious day!”

“What auspicious day?” Obi-Wan asked while Anakin danced happily around C3PO. 

“Why, the day that Mistress Shmi and Master Cliegg get married, of course,” twittered the droid.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. Anakin froze and gaped mindlessly at C3PO, his cheeks drained of color. The hits just kept coming, he thought, drawing Anakin’s arm through his own and baring his teeth at the tactless droid.

“If you would be so kind as to take us to them,” he suggested, and C3PO burbled apologies as he led them down the hall to a room with a closed door. 

He knocked. “Mistress Shmi! Mistress Shmi!” he called out, “There’s someone to see you!”

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to smack his forehead. Someone?! She opened the door a crack, saw Anakin, and gasped loudly. Then she threw it open. “Anakin!” she cried, arms wide. 

“Mom!” gasped Anakin, launching himself at her. The impetuousness of his rush would have knocked them both down if Obi-Wan hadn’t used the Force to steady them. 

They held each other tightly, laughing and crying incoherently. Obi-Wan pulled C3PO away to give them time to talk, and in the process met a man in the hallway who looked at him questioningly. 

“What is all this noise?” he asked. “What’s going on, 3PO?”

“This is Master Cliegg!” C3PO said helpfully. Then he turned to Obi-Wan. “I’m afraid I don’t know who you are.”

“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he said, extending his hand in greeting. “I’m Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi master. He has asked for a leave of absence from the Order, so we came here to find his mother.” He mopped his brow with his sleeve. “It’s been quite an adventure.”

Cliegg grabbed his hand and shook it heartily. “Welcome! Welcome! I can’t believe you brought Anakin, this is the perfect present!”

“I have to admit, I’m a bit confused. We were told that Shmi had, er, been sold. To you,” Obi-Wan said.

Cliegg put his finger in the neck of his shirt and tugged.

“Yes. Well. I had met her at Watto’s when I’d gone to buy some parts, and was sweet on her. He wouldn’t have let her get married, so I saved up my money until I could buy her freedom,” he explained.

“Aha,” Obi-Wan said, greatly relieved. “That’s wonderful.”

Anakin came rushing over to him then, Shmi in tow.

“Mom! This is Obi-Wan! He is my Jedi master! Obi-Wan! This is my mom!”

They shook hands, and Obi-Wan, noting the confusion on her face, explained. “Qui-Gon Jinn was my master, but he was killed in a battle so I took Anakin as my learner. He has been questioning his place in the Order, so we’ve taken a sabbatical.” He smiled down at Anakin, who was vibrating with excitement. “It seems we couldn’t have picked a better time.”

*****

Sheev Palpatine was sitting in his office, gloating and ruminating on his many plans for destroying the Jedi and taking control of the galaxy. So many beautiful plans, so much lovely destruction on the way!

And one of his very favorite pastimes as chancellor was taunting the Jedi. It was time to call them up again and force them to fork over their precious Chosen One for some more dark side bonding. heh heh heh.

He flipped on the com channel and reached Mace Windu immediately. What a sucker, he thought, but he smiled gravely. “Master Windu, how are you?”

“I’m fine Chancellor, and yourself?”

“Good, good,” he said. “I was just wondering if Padawan Skywalker was available to come over soon for another visit.” He simpered for a moment, and though it was laying it on thick, he added, “I do owe him such a debt of gratitude for saving my planet.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Chancellor,” Windu responded. 

Palpatine’s eyebrows went up. “Oh? Why is that?” 

“I’m afraid he’s taken a leave of absence,” Windu replied. The world swirled before Palpatine’s eyes, filled with delicious black rainbows and dying suns. How had he not foreseen this? He’d just suggested it to get Skywalker to lose faith in the Jedi, he didn’t think he’d really DO it! Jackpot! 

“Really!” he exclaimed, hiding his excitement with long practice. “And you just let him go? But I’m sure you know best,” he said in his most unctuous tone.

He could have sworn Windu’s eye twitched, but he remained calm. “The Jedi are not jailers, Chancellor,” he said reprovingly. “It was his choice.”

“But when I think of the poor lad out by himself in the cold, cruel galaxy--well! I’d like to help him if I might,” Palpatine said, tamping down his glee. 

“He’s not alone, Chancellor,” Windu informed him. “Obi-Wan Kenobi has gone with him.”

Palpatine froze, his black rainbows crumbling to dust before him. Kenobi? 

“I...see. Well, thank you for telling me, Master Windu. I hope you’ll let me know when they return,” he said. Then he quickly added, “I don’t suppose you know where they’ve gone?”

“No Chancellor, they didn’t say.”

When they’d completed the call, he drummed his fingers on his desk, lost in thought. Anakin was out of the Order! That was good. But he was with Kenobi. That was bad. Rrrr, he hated that guy! Almost as much as Anakin loved him. He suspected Windu did know where they’d gone, but it might have looked suspicious if he’d pressed too hard. What to do, what to do….

And then he had an idea. It was time to summon his new apprentice. Count Dooku would be just the guy to hunt them down. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Anakin has a brush with empathy, finds a new purpose, and meets Dooku.

Anakin stood tall and proud at his mother’s side as they walked down the aisle together.

_ Dum dum da-dum, dum dum da-dum... _

Standing at the makeshift altar was Cliegg and his son, Owen. A brother. A dad. Anakin swirled that thought around in his mind for a moment. 

The preacher began. “Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today. Marriage, that blessed arrangement. And love, true love...” 

Anakin’s attention wandered away, as he thought about how nice it was to be with his mom again. His mom, and his new family. He had a dad now! And a brother! And he had an Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Jedi master, who was wise and powerful...

And suddenly everyone was standing and clapping, and his mom was kissing Cliegg—hey! kissing?--and then they were walking down the aisle together. Anakin just stood and gaped at them (that guy! was touching his mom!) till Owen walked up to him and nudged him. “Come on. It’s time to eat.”

Anakin was standing in the buffet line, staring at the food, unseeing, when Obi-Wan gently drew him away to a quiet corner.

“Anakin? Are you all right?” 

He was  _ not _ all right. “That guy! Kissed my mom!” 

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, they’re married now. That’s what married people do.”

Anakin frowned. “But that’s my mom!”

“I can see how much you love your mom.”

Anakin nodded emphatically.

“She looks happy, doesn’t she?”

Anakin stared at her. She was smiling. She was talking. She caught his eye, and waved to him. She looked very happy. “Yes,” he agreed. Then he scowled. That was  _ his  _ mother.

“Things have changed a lot since you left,” Obi-Wan said. “Give yourself some time to get used to it. But do try to think about it from her point of view. She let you go with Qui-Gon so you’d have a shot at a better life. Don’t you want the same for her?”

Anakin blinked at him. Same for her? The Jedi taught compassion and love for all. They also taught selflessness. He had to think of other people’s happiness. And if anyone deserved to be happy it was his mom. Even if he didn’t like it that a strange man was kissing her. 

And just then his mom was at his side. “Come dance with me, Ani!” she said, taking his hand. She looked so happy, and he knew that some of it was because he was there. She still loved him. He smiled, and let her lead him to the center of the floor for the Dewback Dance. 

*****

The wedding festivities ran late into the night, and the guests stayed over so they wouldn’t be preyed upon by the Sand People. But the next day everyone left, and Anakin and Obi-Wan helped clean the homestead up. Shmi kept grabbing him and hugging him, like she couldn’t believe he was really there. He squinched up his nose and pretended like he didn’t like it, but really he did.

They settled into a quiet pattern over the next few days. Obi-Wan and Anakin got up early every morning to do katas while it was still cool out. By the second day they had an audience, and by the third day they had participants. 

“Do you mind if we join you?” Shmi asked, but of course they didn’t. So Obi-Wan turned the katas into self-defense lessons. Tatooine was a dangerous planet after all. 

After that was the farm work. Obi-Wan helped Cliegg with the vaporators while Anakin worked on repairing the X-34 landspeeder, and showed Owen how to fix a droid’s motivator. 

And in the evenings, after dinner was eaten and the dishes done, Obi-Wan led Anakin in additional kata work, followed by meditation. Sometimes they had company for that, too.

A week after their arrival, Anakin felt restless and unable to concentrate on the landspeeder. Cliegg and Owen were on the south ridge working on the condensers that day, while Obi Wan was on the north range. Anakin finally gave it up as a bad job and went to find Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan noticed him approaching and stood up. “Hullo Anakin, what are you doing out here?”

“Hi Master,” he said, and dragged his toe around in the sand for a minute, gathering his thoughts. He had forgotten how much he disliked sand--some was already grinding around in his boots--but he hadn’t come out here to complain about sand. “Master, it’s nice to be here with my mom and Cliegg and Owen, but it feels...I’m not sure…” Anakin trailed off. He wasn’t quite sure what he was trying to say.

“It feels like there’s more you could be doing?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes!” Anakin was relieved. Obi-Wan understood. “I’m free, my mom is free, but my friend Kitster isn’t free. And there are others.”

“I know, Anakin. I’ve been thinking about that too. We can’t buy everyone’s freedom, we simply don’t have the money; and anyway that wouldn’t prevent others from bringing new slaves to the planet. The best way to get rid of slavery is for society to deem it unacceptable. I’m not sure how to go about making that happen.”

“Can’t we  _ make _ them give up slavery?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan looked at him steadily. “Violence is not the path of the Jedi. But say we decided to use force. We are only two people. Can we take on every slave owner? The slaves have chips, the owners could simply blow them up.”

Anakin stuck out his lower lip. “Before Master Qui-Gon found me I was working on a device to detect chips.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows went up. “Were you now? Could you recreate that?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, why don’t you make your chip detector then. Do you have the parts you need?”

“No, I’m missing a few things.”

Obi-Wan stood up and shaded his eyes as he looked at the horizon. Anakin had the impression he was looking far beyond the planet and into the Force itself. 

Finally, he spoke. “We need some new parts for the vaporators too, and Cliegg and I were talking about establishing a perimeter fence. Let’s take a trip to Mos Eisley tomorrow, and get what we need.” Then he turned back to Anakin and said, “We can’t just free everyone without a plan. We’ll have to figure out how to get them away from their masters. They’ll need jobs, places to stay, food. But we can think about that while you build your reader.”

Anakin wanted to dance, so he did, an energetic solo with leaps and twirls. Wizard! Finally, his dream of freeing the slaves would come true!

*****

Count Dooku’s lip curled. Tatooine was one of the most backward, horrid planets in the galaxy. It figured that that’s where he would have to go. A Sith’s life was not nearly as glamorous as it should be. In many ways it was as bad as a Jedi’s.

It hadn’t taken long to figure out where they were. Skywalker, of course, had made a beeline for his mother. Sidious had instructed him to find them, and to make contact, and then to report back. He wondered what his interest in them was. Did he want more apprentices? What about the rule of two? Dooku wasn’t sure it was in his best interest to be too forthcoming with Sidious. Although it wasn’t in his best interest  _ not _ to be forthcoming either, as he’d learned the hard way. He was just going to have to play this by ear.

He had sent Jabba the Hutt a request for an audience. He could spin some fairytale about how he wanted to align his planet with the Hutts because of their trading reach and importance. Which was sort of true, because Sidious would want them on his side once the time came. Then, when he was on the planet he could seek out Kenobi and Skywalker.

He had to admit that he was curious to meet Kenobi. He wasn’t sure why, but somehow their paths hadn’t crossed before. Qui-Gon had always spoken very highly of him, however. Dooku would make his own judgments, but he wondered how open Kenobi would be to the dark side. It would be interesting to find out. 

*****

The following day, Obi-Wan and Anakin set out early for Mos Eisley. Anchorhead was too small to have what they needed, and Mos Espa was too far away.

“Watch your step,” Cliegg told them. “It’s a wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

“Good to know,” Obi-Wan said, patting the lightsaber that hung off his belt. He had offered their lightsabers to Yoda before they left Coruscant, but Yoda, knowing where they were going, said they should keep them. Thank goodness, because he didn’t care for blasters but sashaying around Tatooine weaponless was just stupid. 

They hit all the junk shops and parts shops in town, and finally had everything they needed. Obi-Wan was glad that Anakin spoke Huttese, it made bargaining a lot easier. They were starting to run low on credits though--or wupiupi to be more accurate. He wondered if he should take a job somewhere to earn some money, especially if he and Anakin were really going to start a movement to free the slaves. 

Anakin was starting to get increasingly cranky, and Obi-Wan realized he needed to eat. They found a cantina that looked slightly less seedy than the rest, though that was not much of a recommendation. The place was filled with pirates and bounty hunters and smugglers of all sorts, but it had a fun band playing a zesty tune, so he and Anakin found an empty booth at the back of the place. Luckily, no one appeared to be paying them any attention.

Not until the end of their meal, that is.

Obi-Wan had the sense that someone was watching them, but when he looked around, he didn’t see anyone. 

Finally, as Anakin was gobbling up his desert, a shadow fell across their table.

“Knight Kenobi?”

It was a tall, elegant man, with smooth white hair and beetling black brows, draped in a cloak of the finest Chandrillan wool. He looked as out of place in this joint as a bantha in a ballet.

“Yes?” Obi-Wan said cautiously. “I’m afraid you have the advantage of me.”

“My name is Count Dooku. Formerly Master Dooku, of the Jedi Order. I was Qui-Gon Jinn’s master.”

“Master Dooku!” Obi-Wan exclaimed. “What an unexpected surprise! What are you doing on Tatooine of all places? I heard you’d returned to Serenno when you left the Order.”

“I did return to Serenno. I’m actually here on behalf of my planet, to negotiate with the Hutts,” Count Dooku said.

Anakin stared at him round-eyed during all this, fascinated by the appearance of the long-lost Master Dooku. But when Dooku mentioned the Hutts, his eyes narrowed. Obi-Wan, who was sitting next to him, popped a dried pallie into his apprentice’s open mouth before he could wax poetic on the Hutts. Anakin scowled at him as he chewed the leathery fruit.

“Count, would you care to join us?” he asked, gesturing to the seat across from them.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Dooku said, and slid gracefully into the booth. “Are you here on a mission?”

“No, as a matter of fact. And you’re actually the perfect person for us to talk to. Anakin and I have taken a leave of absence from the Order,” Obi-Wan said. 

One eyebrow lifted. “Have you? And how do you like life outside of the Order so far?”

“It’s been an adjustment, but nice. We actually only just left,” he said.

“And may I ask what brought this decision on?” he asked, but he looked at Anakin as he said it. He obviously realized that a knight wouldn’t bring his padawan with him if he was the one who chose to leave.

“Anakin had some questions about his place in the Order. He came to us late, and has had a very different life experience than those of us who were raised in the Temple,” Obi-Wan explained.

Dooku gave Anakin a long look. “You’ve come back to your family,” he said.

Anakin’s eyes widened again, his earlier displeasure forgotten. “Yes! How did you know?”

Dooku shrugged. “That’s what I did when I left the Order. I returned to Serenno, the planet of my birth.”

Obi-Wan could tell that Anakin had many questions, but he was surprised with what came out of the boy’s mouth.

“Would you like to come home with us for dinner?” he asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wedding speech is from Princess Bride.
> 
> It didn't take Dooku long to find them, did it.


	3. Chapter 3

This was going even better than he’d expected, Dooku congratulated himself. 

His meeting with Jabba was scheduled for three days from now, but he had come early so he could track down the wayward Jedi. Not only was that surprisingly easy, he hadn’t even had to try to win their trust. The fools had accepted him right away. In fact, they were in a rickety old landspeeder on the way to their home at this very moment. 

He felt surprisingly warm all over, in a way that had appeared unrelated to the heat of the planet. How odd, he thought. Perhaps he was coming down with some disgusting disease he’d caught on this Force-forsaken dustball. But when he looked at his companions in the front seat, the feeling only intensified. It didn’t feel like rage, or even anger. Well then, it must be hate. What else was there? 

*****

The landspeeder was so loud that it limited conversation. That didn’t prevent Anakin from peppering Dooku with questions as they drove.

He asked about everything from Qui-Gon to Serenno to why hadn’t he met Obi-Wan before. “I mean, aren’t you basically his grandpa? Didn’t you want to meet him?” he yelled over the vibrations of the vehicle. 

Grandpa! Why that little… He pretended he didn’t hear the question, and finally Anakin gave up.

Eventually a series of low buildings appeared on the horizon. He assumed--hoped--that it was the farm house, and his hopes were well founded. As soon as they parked he picked his way out of the speeder gingerly and hoped that the ringing in his ears wasn't going to be permanent. They were soon joined by what must be Anakin’s family. Anakin immediately ran to the woman.

“Mom! Mom! We found Master--I mean Count--Dooku in Mos Eisley and brought him home with us! He was Qui-Gon's master!” he said excitedly. 

She didn’t seem too surprised that they'd brought home a stranger, but the man and the boy did. Now that was interesting.

“Hi,” she said, extending her hand. “My name is Shmi Skywalker Lars. This is my husband Cliegg and our other son Owen.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Dooku said, shaking everyone’s hand and hiding his reluctance to touch them. Skywalker Lars? A step-family then. Perhaps that meant some weaker ties that he could exploit. “I, too, left the Jedi Order a few years ago. It was happy circumstance that led me to run into young Anakin and Obi-Wan here on Tatooine. I am here to meet with Jabba the Hutt on behalf of my planet, Serenno.”

He was gratified when their faces registered a flattering amount of awe. He  _ was _ pretty awesome.

“Dinner is actually almost ready. If you’ll come inside,” she said, leading the way into the hovel--he supposed he should think of it as a  _ home _ . He had to be mindful of his thoughts if he didn’t want to alert his prey.

The meal was surprisingly good--some sort of curry, and he didn’t want to know what the meat was. The company was surprisingly good too, especially Obi-Wan Kenobi. The man had a sharp mind and an even sharper wit. He would make an excellent Sith apprentice, Dooku thought. All that was standing in his way was Obi-Wan’s foolish adherence to the light side of the Force and his ridiculous fondness for all living things. Including this family. He clearly cared about them a great deal, especially the padawan.

Anakin Skywalker was obviously very strong in the Force. This was the child that Qui-Gon had thought to be the Chosen One. It was kind of hard to imagine. He was rough around the edges, full of rude questions and nonsensical jibber jabber. However, he was not wholly without positive qualities. Or so Obi-Wan seemed to think. 

At the moment he was regaling them all with a story about some droid he and the other boy were repairing, and then he jumped up and ran off to get it.

“Anakin, no!” said his mother. “It’s time to eat, it’s not time to play with your droids!”

“I just want to show it to everyone,” he said, as he returned to the table holding the head. “It had a bad motivator, and we didn’t have a new one so Owen and I repaired this one. When Obi-Wan and I were in town we got a new one just in case, but if this works…”

He flipped the switch on the back of the head, and the eyes lit up. “Wizard!” he said. Then there was a grinding noise, followed by what sounded like flatulence, and then the head blew up. One of the eyes bounced into Dooku’s bowl; the other one landed on the floor. Anakin’s face was blackened and his hair was sticking out everywhere.

Everyone stared at him, eyes round, mouths open. The silence was broken by the droid C3PO’s loud gasp, and Owen’s sudden guffaws. 

“Haw haw haw! It farted! And Anakin! Your face! Haw haw haw!”

“That’s enough young man,” Cliegg said, staring at Owen sternly but he continued to laugh. Shmi got up and hustled Anakin away to clean him up. 

Obi-Wan turned to Dooku with a grimace. “Ah, sorry about that. Anakin gets excited about his repair projects. He’s really quite a good mechanic you know.”

Dooku blinked at him a few times. He felt the lower half of his face straining in an unfamiliar way. “Don’t mention it,” he finally said.

***** 

After the dishes, the droid remnants, and Anakin had been cleaned up, they moved into the great room.

Dooku hadn’t been counting on having to stay the night. He hadn’t spent much time reading up on the local flora and fauna, but it turned out that something called Tusken Raiders prowled the desert wastes at night, hunting for unsuspecting prey. It wasn’t like there were luxurious hotels to stay in on Tatooine anyway, and perhaps this extra time with Kenobi and Skywalker would be fruitful. 

Anakin was subdued, but still irrepressible. “Can you tell us a story about Master Qui-Gon’s padawan days?” he asked, carefully avoiding Obi Wan’s eyes. “Mom and C3PO knew him too.”

“Certainly. Let me just think a moment.” What was a suitable story to tell these people? Perhaps one of the many times Qui-Gon had gotten carried away with one of his pet projects. That was something he and Anakin Skywalker appeared to have in common.

“About three years into Qui-Gon’s apprenticeship, we were sent to Kashyyyk as part of a diplomatic mission in the sector. Qui-Gon, who had just completed his Horticulture of the Mid Rim class, wanted to see some of Kashyyyk’s plants in their natural habitat, so I allowed him to take an afternoon to explore. Little did I know that he’d decided to bring back some samples with him, including a Kudzu cutting. 

“Kudzu is a fast-growing vine that doesn’t need much encouragement. Qui-Gon put it in a cup of water, and while we were sleeping it started to expand around the ship. It worked its way into the engine and would have left us stranded if we hadn’t found it in time.”

Anakin danced around in his seat. “Wow! Master Qui-Gon did that?”

Dooku cut him a look. He wasn’t supposed to be romanticizing this, he was supposed to Learn a Lesson. “He did, but that’s not even all of it. He also brought a stowaway on board, a Puff-Head Tamarin who was hiding among some of the leaves Qui-Gon had grabbed. We didn’t realize he was there until the mission was complete and we were returning to Coruscant. This little menace had almost chewed through our navigation system when we discovered him. We ended up having to return to Kashyyyk for a few days to return the tamarin to his home and make repairs to our vessel.” He closed his eyes at the memory. He had been so annoyed at the time, but in retrospect it was kind of...endearing.

“Pathetic lifeforms,” Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, and Dooku nodded at him in complete understanding. 

“Pathetic lifeforms indeed,” he agreed.

*****

Obi-Wan had given up his bed for Dooku, but Dooku was having a hard time sleeping. He was feeling things that he hadn’t felt in a long time. And every time he tried to smother these gentler emotions under a wave of rage, the wave broke and dissipated. It was most disturbing. 

Finally, he gave up his attempts to woo sleep, and headed out to the courtyard for some fresh air. There he found Obi-Wan. That wasn’t really going to help build his rage back up, but he joined him anyway.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Obi-Wan asked when he sat down.

“No. Unfamiliar bed and all that,” he lied. It would be highly undesirable to discuss his inability to summon rage.

“Thanks for the story about Qui-Gon,” Obi-Wan said. “Sometimes my memories of him are colored in grief.”

“Mine as well, young Obi-Wan,” Dooku said, surprised to find that it was true.

“I’m glad we ran into you,” Obi-Wan continued. The naive pleasure in his tone made Dooku squirm. “I’m wondering if I can pick your brain about something?” 

“Certainly,” he said.

“He was a slave, you know. Anakin, that is. He and his mother,” said Obi-Wan. “Qui-Gon freed him but was unable to free his mother. That’s why he wanted to come back. But when we got here we found she’d already been freed by Cliegg. We arrived just in time for their wedding.” 

Dooku raised an eyebrow. “That must have been interesting.” 

Obi-Wan smiled. “Very. He likes being with his family, but he still wants to be able to help others. In particular, he’d like to do something to free slaves. I tried to explain to him how difficult that is, that there are many ramifications to it, but in the end I agreed to help him. He is building a chip reader, and we are going to see about creating a path for people to get away.” 

‘You know that the slavers will simply find more slaves, don’t you?” Dooku asked.

“Yes, of course. I tried explaining that to Anakin, but then I thought why not just help him instead of telling him all the reasons something won’t work without at least trying it. Of course we’ll need money, places to hide former slaves, someone to remove their chips, ways to get them off planet…” Obi-Wan trailed off and Dooku could tell he was strategizing. 

“I can help with that.” He turned around to see who had said that, but it turns out it was him. Huh, that was weird. Why would he offer that? Perhaps his subconscious cooked it up as part of his plan to make sure Obi-Wan and Anakin were in his debt. 

Obi-Wan’s face lit up. “Could you really? That would be fantastic,” he enthused. Dooku continued to stare at him blankly, still wondering what had just happened. 

“Of course, to ensure everyone on Tatooine is truly free, society has to decide it will no longer tolerate slavery,” Obi-Wan said. “That means all the citizens would have to stand together to demand change. Nothing about this planet suggests that that is likely. It could also be a decision that comes from the top, but seeing as how the Hutts are in power here, that also seems unlikely.”

“Perhaps you and Skywalker would like to come with me when I speak to Jabba?” Dooku suggested. “My understanding is that he does not approve of slavery, but doesn’t forbid it either.” 

“Hmm,” Obi-Wan hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t want to draw attention to us, otherwise they’ll come after us first when slaves start disappearing.” 

“On the other hand, it never hurts to ask,” Dooku said. “And Qui-Gon always spoke highly of your negotiating skills. Why don’t you think about it. You have a few days to decide.” 

Dooku got up then and returned to his bed, leaving Obi-Wan to his own devices. At this rate not only was Obi-Wan going to make a lousy Sith, so was he. What was going on? Why was he offering help and advice? Why was he feeling the pull of the Light? He needed to refocus on his rage and hate, that was all. It was just a momentary aberration. He just better hope that Sidious didn’t notice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly fluff! Thought we could all use some fluff right about now. Quote at the beginning of the chapter is from Mr. Blue Sky by ELO.

_ Warning! Today’s forecast calls for blue skies. _

Anakin woke up far earlier than usual, pulled from sleep by a niggling worry. 

Obi-Wan, he thought.

He snuck out of the room he shared with Owen, and found Obi-Wan stretched out on a pallet in the Great Room, snoring gently. Anakin sat next to him and stared at him until one eye opened and stared back.

It didn’t look like a happy eye.

“Good morning, Anakin. You’re up awfully early today,” Obi-Wan grumbled.

“Sorry, Master,” he said, though he wasn’t, not really. He had something he needed to know about right away, and it just couldn’t wait.

“Are you going to leave me here?” he asked in a rush.

The other eye opened, and then Obi-Wan sat up, looking at Anakin with mild concern.

“You’re with your mother now, but...I wasn’t planning on it, Anakin,” he said. He crossed his legs under him, and stared down at his hands for a moment. Then he looked up and smiled at Anakin. “I promised Qui-Gon I would train you. Not just as a Jedi, but as a Force-user. It takes years to master yourself, to gain the control needed to effectively wield the Force and protect yourself and those around you from being overwhelmed by it. If you no longer want my help I will leave, but I will always be available to talk and would return at any time. And of course, you would always be welcomed back by the Jedi at any time as well.”

“No!” said Anakin, as he lunged at Obi-Wan and hugged his midsection. “I mean, no, don’t go.”

He could feel Obi-Wan patting his back, could hear his soft laugh, and his worries eased. “I guess it’s all settled then.”

*****

Dooku hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but he was awake when he heard Anakin come rushing out of his room. And the doors didn’t really prevent sound from carrying. And okay, he used the Force to hear the conversation. So sue him, he was a Sith after all.

He lay there thoughtfully, digesting what he’d heard. Feeling nostalgic and even a bit melancholy. 

Would he have left the Jedi for Qui-Gon? Would Qui-Gon have left for Obi-Wan? He squirmed uncomfortably, suspecting that he knew the answers and that they didn’t reflect favorably on him or Qui-Gon. 

Then he wondered again what Sidious wanted with these two. There was no real way to know with that guy; if he’d learned anything in his apprenticeship it was that Sidious had plots within plots, and the only real winner in any of them was Sidious.

He flipped onto his side, hatching some plots of his own. He was starting to think that his interests and Sidious’s did not necessarily align. And after all, wasn’t it every Sith apprentice’s duty to overthrow the master?

*****

Obi-Wan was still a bit tired--Anakin had woken him up at the crack of dawn, unable to wait even an hour longer to make sure Obi-Wan wasn’t going to slip away the minute his back was turned. He smiled to himself. What could he say, it was nice to be appreciated. 

He was clearing space for the morning katas and self-defense lessons while everyone else was eating when Master--Count--Dooku joined him.

“How did you sleep Count Dooku?” he asked, and Dooku wrinkled his nose. 

“Please, just call me Dooku,” he said. “What are you doing?”

“After breakfast we run through katas, and I’ve been teaching the rest of the family self defense,” Obi-Wan told him. His face brightened. “Please join us! Perhaps you and I could provide a demonstration?” At Dooku’s studiously blank look, Obi-Wan immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. You left the Order after all, and I shouldn’t--” But Dooku cut him off.

“Don’t apologize, Obi-Wan. I’d be happy to show you how it’s done.” He raised one eyebrow, and Obi-Wan laughed. 

“I’m sure you’ll try,” he agreed, and bowed. 

Dooku and Obi-Wan led the Lars-Skywalkers through Shii Cho, the lightsaber Form One, and then they demonstrated some self-defense techniques for hand--to-hand combat. 

“Our last lesson today is defense against the Sand People’s melee weapons,” Obi-Wan told them, as he led them to a sheltered area outside. “Dooku and I will demonstrate.”

He tossed Dooku a long pole, and took one up himself. The two clashed and clashed and clashed, neither able to land a blow on the other.

“You haven’t lost your touch,” Obi-Wan said admiringly. Then with a smirk he added, “For a retiree.”

Dooku snorted. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he said. “For a whippersnapper.”

Finally they called a draw. Anakin, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, demanded more. “Can you have a lightsaber fight? Can you?” He pleaded.

“Have a heart Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, swatting him with the towel he’d been mopping up with. It was already getting hot even though it was still fairly early, and they still had all the farm chores ahead of them. “Maybe tomorrow.” 

Dooku, facing away from the others and looking down as he wiped the back of his neck, said, “I don’t have my lightsaber with me.”

“You can borrow mine!” Anakin declared, as though the matter was settled. He missed the visible discomfort in Dooku’s posture, but Obi-Wan didn’t. He just wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

*****

Palpatine hated people. A lot. But at the forefront of his hate right now was Wat Tambor, head of the Techno Union. Every time he thought he’d convinced Tambor to increase production of his droid army that jerk-face would balk, worried about a proper return on his investment. 

“I have heard that the Republic is considering raising its own army,” Palpatine said through gritted teeth. 

“I don’t know,” Wat Tambor countered. “I haven’t heard anything about that, and I’ve been asking around. We have an army now, and it is suitable for our purposes. I do not see a need to increase production at this time. It would not be profitable.”

Sidious seethed at Tambor’s holoimage. It was so (so) tempting to just squash him like a bug, but he had to stifle such impulses. He still needed the Techno Union. He needed them to play their part in the war he was creating. Afterward, when everyone was worn out, he could wipe all the players out--the Jedi, the Trade Federation, and the incredibly annoying Techno Union. The thought soothed him, and he was able to speak again without choking Tambor out.

“I am sure I can find a way to make it worth your while,” he said. “I will meet you on Mustafar in a week’s time.” He shut the call off without giving Tambor an opportunity to argue with him. 

He took off his cloak and returned to his main office, sat at his spacious desk and looked out over Coruscant. He leaned back and steepled his fingers together while he planned. While he was out and about he could swing by Geonosis and see how those droid factories were progressing. And before he left Coruscant he could probably get in a session or two with some vulnerable senators, laying the groundwork for how the Republic didn’t actually care about their planets. En route he could call Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation yet again, and let him know the court cases against them were grinding to a halt. 

And last, but far from least, he’d gotten a message from Dooku that he’d made contact with Kenobi and Skywalker. He hadn’t elaborated though, and although Palpatine would dearly love some additional details, he didn’t have time to track him down right now. Especially not when he had Tambor to work over. Er, work on, that is. 

He also had to keep Dooku unwitting about his true interest in Skywalker. If he harassed him too much for updates, he might get suspicious, and that would not do. Nope, he had to remain unsuspecting. But one day...one day...

Even with occasional hiccups everything was still coming together so beautifully. The thought made him want to do his Sithly jig, but he didn’t dare, not in his main office. Perhaps later, in his secret inner office. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed posting, it's a stressful time. The corona virus has made everything so weird, hasn't it. Hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe!


	5. Chapter 5

It had already been decided that Dooku would stay with them until his meeting with Jabba, thanks to Dooku dropping a series of unsubtle hints. Anakin offered to stay at the house with him that morning while everyone else headed to the vaporators.

“Do you want to come to the garage with me?” Anakin asked shyly, not at all sure that a planetary leader would desire such a thing. “I have some repair work I need to do.”

“That sounds acceptable,” Dooku replied, and was gratified by the pleasure that suffused the boy’s face.

He watched as Anakin pulled out his tools and a box of parts, and started laying everything out. “What are you working on?” he asked, sincerely hoping it wasn’t another droid head.

Anakin eyed him speculatively. Finally he said, “Chip reader.”

“Ah yes, Obi-Wan mentioned you were going to build one.”

Anakin’s expression lightened. “Did he? Yes, I designed one before but couldn’t get it to work. I think I know where I went wrong.” As he spoke his hands moved deftly, slotting pieces together, and it wasn’t long before it took on a recognizable shape. 

Dooku was impressed in spite of himself. “How will you know…” he trailed off, feeling uncharacteristically awkward.

“If it works? Well, mom and I had our chips removed. But I do know some people who probably still have them,” Anakin said, his jaw tightening. Anger flared in the Force.

Dooku stared at him, surprised by the strength of his emotions and his power in the Force. Well, well. Finally he said, “Let me know when you’re ready.”

“Ready?” Anakin repeated, perplexed. 

“Yes, ready to test it,” he said. “I’m sure Obi-Wan won’t mind if we borrow the speeder.”

“Wizard!”

*****

Before they left for Mos Espa, Anakin made Dooku put on sunblock and a long, hooded cloak, treating him to a lecture on the dangers of being out in the two suns without protection. Dooku found himself oddly charmed. 

The trip to Mos Espa was long, and the speeder far too noisy to allow easy conversation. Dooku relished the opportunity to think, but eventually he noticed Anakin’s growing nervousness. He patted him awkwardly on the shoulder, and Anakin looked at him in surprise.

When they reached the slave quarters Anakin’s discomfort had increased. “Park here,” he said stiffly, his concentration focused on one house in particular. “That’s where we used to live.”

Dooku couldn’t help but notice the despair and grief that had bled into the very walls of the buildings within the slave quarters. That was not unexpected. What was unexpected was the glimmers of hope he detected as well. To be honest, he’d never thought about slaves from the perspective of the slave before.

Suddenly there was someone running toward them. “Dina!” Anakin cried, as they hugged and spun around.

“Anakin! What are you doing here?” Dina, a Rodian, held Anakin out at arm’s length and inspected him. 

Anakin looked shifty for a moment. “I’m here to see Kitster. Does he still live here?”

“Oh yes, he’s at work right now. He should be home soon. But come, tell me everything. What are you doing back here? And who is this?” she asked, gesturing toward Dooku.

At Anakin’s stricken expression, Dooku stepped in. “My name is Dooku, I’m a friend of Anakin’s from his days at the Jedi Temple. He was studying with the Jedi but chose to return to Tatooine.”

“So you’re here to free us all, just as you dreamed!” Her voice rose in excitement as she spoke, reaching a penetrating shriek. Anakin pounced on her and put his hand over her mouth.

“Are you trying to get us killed?” he hissed. “We just came to see Kitster!”

Dina looked crestfallen, and when Anakin pulled away his hand she apologized profusely. But a curious gleam remained in her eye. So much for their attempts at subtlety Dooku thought.

Dooku was just considering whether a Jedi mind trick would work on her when a cry came from behind them.

“Anakin!”

“Kitster!”

The two boys ran toward each other and hugged fiercely. 

“You did come back,” Kitster whispered in disbelief. 

“I did, and I have something to show you.”

The boys exchanged a series of raised eyebrows and then Kitster turned toward a building, the others falling in behind him. Anakin turned around and was about to tell Dina to stay put when Dooku shook his head slightly. Might as well bring her along, she’d shout the news to the rooftops if they didn’t. They entered the abandoned quarters, and stood in a circle. Anakin pulled out his device.

“What is it?” asked Kitster.

“A chip reader.”

“A chip reader,” Dina sighed. “Try it on me!”

Dooku and Anakin exchanged looks. Anakin turned it on, and scanned her. The machine beeped as it passed over her thigh. Kitster took a swipe of coal dust on his finger to mark the spot. Then they scanned Kitster. The machine beeped as it passed over his upper arm. Anakin used the coal dust to mark the spot.

“Does Nelag still work in the quarters?” Anakin asked.

“Yes. We can’t all go at once though, or someone will become suspicious. Let me go. I’ll be back,” said Dina, and she hastened away.

Thirty minutes later she was back, with an old Twilek in tow. “It worked!” she said. “Nelag was able to remove it!” 

Nelag pulled out his tools as Kitster showed him the spot where they’d found his. Anakin turned on the reader for a more precise location, and Nelag made short work of the device, dropping it into a container with a solution to neutralize the bomb. Then he stitched him back up.

They all looked at one another. “This changes everything,” Nelag breathed, hardly able to believe it.

*****

Dooku and Anakin hung around for some of the surgeries, but then they realized it was getting dark. 

“Here, keep this,” he said to Nelag, thrusting the reader into his hand. “I live out by Mos Eisley now, at the Cliegg Lars farm. You can contact us there.” 

“We’ll be in touch,” added Dooku. “When we figure out how to help the slaves who want to leave Tatooine.” And then they slipped away, jumping into the speeder and heading out of town.

“Wow. Wow.” Anakin was beside himself. “We did it.” But even as he let the excitement roll through him, he realized there might be some people who might not be as pleased with them.

“Umm, Dooku, can you go faster? It’s late, and my mom and Obi-Wan might be kind of mad.”

So Dooku hit the gas and drove with a panache that left Anakin breathless. He was able to sense the Sand People that lay in wait, and he used the Force to kick up a windstorm that knocked them off their mounts. By the time they arrived at the Lars-Skywalker household, it was quite dark, but it was by no means quiet. Lights blazed in front of the place, and they sheepishly met the gazes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Shmi Skywalker Lars, who were staring at them with arms crossed and matching expressions of disapprobation. Cliegg and Owen were conspicuously absent. He guessed they were the smart ones.

Obi-Wan lit into them with a litany of insults and guilt, while Shmi tugged them into the house, knocked the sand out of their cloaks and boots, and shook her head wordlessly. When everyone was inside, and seated at the table, she put her hand on Obi-Wan’s forearm to quiet him.

“We were worried,” she said simply. “You left a note, but we had no way to contact you.”

Dooku and Anakin both hung their heads. Wait, why was he letting this farm woman browbeat him? He was the leader of Serenno! He was a Sith Lord! Dooku started to raise his head, but then he met Obi-Wan’s glare, and lowered it again. And somehow, deep inside, he felt like singing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't leave your parents wondering where you are, even when you're out saving the slaves. :)


	6. Chapter 6

The day after their Mos Espa adventure, Anakin and Dooku were on tenterhooks all day waiting for news. Finally, late in the afternoon, a call came through from Kitster.

“PSSST,” his blue image whispered loudly. “PSSST.”

Anakin snatched up the comm. “Kitster! It’s me!”

“Anakin!” he cried. Then he looked carefully at a flmsi in his hand. “Er. Slippery sandcrawlers slip through the sea. I repeat, slippery sandcrawlers slip through the sea.” 

Anakin made a fist and pulled his arm back hard. “Yes!” Then he focused again on Kitster’s wavy form.

“All?”

“No, but a lot,” was the giddy reply. The other boy looked quickly over his shoulder. “Gotta go!” And his image vanished.

Dooku smiled benevolently as Anakin jumped up and down. Ob-Wan and Shmi watched in mystification.

“What was that all about?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“It was a code we worked out. It just means that the chip removal is going well. A lot of slaves have already had them removed!”

“That’s wonderful, Ani!” exclaimed Shmi, pulling him in for a big hug. 

“We’re doing it Mom! We’re doing it!”

Obi-Wan caught Dooku’s eye and quirked an eyebrow. It was a critical first step, but it was only the first of many. 

*****

Obi-Wan found it hard to sleep that night. His mind was whirling as he considered various plans for getting the slaves away from Tatooine. And finding them places to live. And finding them jobs, and food, and clothing...his head hurt thinking about it. He was really hoping that Dooku would be able to help. If Serenno was willing to take in former slaves, that would solve a lot of problems.

On the other hand...sometimes he got a weird vibe from Dooku. That had lessened actually, the longer the former Jedi was with them. He turned that thought over in his mind for awhile, but didn’t reach any conclusions there either. He sort of figured Dooku was maybe not always comfortable with other people. He knew there was a story there, but it was Dooku’s to tell when he was ready.

Finally he was able to clear his mind and get some sleep. He needed to be well rested for their meeting tomorrow with Jabba the Hutt. 

*****

“Why can’t I go?” Anakin whined. “I can help! You need me! I won’t be in the way!”

“Obi-Wan and Dooku already explained that it was dangerous, and that they don’t want Jabba to remember you when slaves start going missing,” Shmi explained patiently. Again. She and Obi-Wan had been taking turns with him, but he was resisting their explanations. Owen and Cliegg, tired of the back and forth, had left awhile ago to prepare some equipment they needed in the garage.

“But he’ll remember them! And he’ll find out they’ve been staying here!”

Finally Dooku, who’d been following the exchange silently, interjected. “Anakin, we need you to stay here and monitor any communications from Kitster.”

That broke through where nothing else could. “Fine! But be careful!” And he flounced out of the dining room angrily. 

“Sorry about that,” Shmi apologized, but Obi-Wan held up a hand. 

“No need to apologize to me. Maybe I should apologize to you,” he said. Then they both started laughing. 

Dooku stood up, adjusting his cloak regally. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” said Obi-Wan, following him out of the house and to the speeder. Obi-Wan wanted to take a few minutes to clean the pile of robes and blankets out the back seat, but Dooku was afraid they were going to be late. So they hopped into the front seat and waved goodbye to Shmi, Owen, and Cliegg, who had all followed them out of the house.

“I was sure Anakin would want to say goodbye,” Obi-Wan said with a worried frown, but Dooku dismissed his concern.

“He’ll be eager for news by the time we get back, and will have forgiven us for not taking him.”

“Hmmph,” Obi-Wan said. As the speeder got going it was too loud to have a coherent conversation so they just lapsed into silence. 

When they got close to the palace they parked and sat in the speeder for a moment, looking at it in the distance. Vehicles were not allowed closer, so they’d have to go by foot through the canyon. 

“We’re being watched,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“Yes, there are cameras, if you look up,” Dooku replied.

“It feels like eyes,” Obi-Wan said, then shrugged off his unease as they started along the path.

They’d gotten about halfway there when Obi-Wan turned to Dooku. “Is that rock moving?”

Dooku watched it with narrowed eyes, and was surprised when Obi-Wan swiveled suddenly, darted back down the path, and seized the rock. 

“Anakin Skywalker! What are you doing following us?” Obi Wan demanded as Anakin, wearing a very large, dirt colored robe, struggled in his grip.

“Ow! You’re squeezing my arms!”

Obi-Wan released him, and Anakin massaged his biceps ostentatiously. “You stowed away in the back seat! We told you to stay home, Anakin.” 

“No you didn’t!”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to argue, then decided not to waste his time. Instead, he smiled sweetly. “Then why were you hiding?”

Anakin, realizing a trap lingered in those words, changed tactics. “You always taught me to follow my instincts and listen to the Force. The Force warned me, and told me you need me,” he said stoutly.

Obi-Wan’s lips thinned, but before he could refute Anakin’s claim, Dooku stepped in. “It’s too late now, he has to come along. We’re being watched.”

Anakin, not liking the look on Obi-Wan’s face, hurried to walk next to Dooku, while Obi-Wan followed. When they reached the doors a little robot eye shot out and Dooku announced his identity. They’d already decided not to introduce Obi-Wan (and now Anakin) by name, but merely to say they were his associates.

The Twi’lek majordomo and some Gamorrean guards led them to Jabba. They joined a motley crew of mercenaries, bounty hunters, pirates, and entertainers. As they walked into Jabba’s throne room, one of the dancing girls took a look at Anakin and her eyes widened. She looked away quickly. 

Had the slaves in Jabba’s palace gotten word of the chip reader too, Obi-Wan wondered, but then Jabba began rumbling in Huttese, and the protocol droid started to translate.

“The mighty Jabba welcomes you to his palace, Count Dooku of Serenno. Jabba the magnificent desires to know what you seek from him, and, most importantly, what you offer in return.”

Laughter rippled through the room at Jabba’s wit. Dooku and Obi-Wan laughed along politely. Anakin remained stone faced.

“Oh mighty Jabba, I would like to have proprietary access to Hutt space and trade routes. In return I would offer the best of Serenno’s goods, including timber, water, and agriculture.”

A hum of interest buzzed around the room.

Jabba began speaking again, followed quickly by the translation.

“The illustrious Jabba does not think a proprietary interest in our trade routes would be in his best interest. Serenno’s goods are famous, but there are other planets with equally fine timber, water, and agriculture.”

Jabba waited for the droid to finish speaking, then he began again. Before the droid could translate that statement a ribald laughter ripped through the room, and Anakin pulled hard on Obi-Wan’s robes. 

“Why that...why that…” he stuttered, but before Obi-Wan could ask what had happened, the droid helpfully chimed in.

“Jabba the pulchritudinous says that perhaps if you add your red-headed companion into the bargain, it would be more tempting.” Obi-Wan could feel his face burning, and Dooku’s eyes narrowed. Before either of them could speak, Jabba delivered his coup de grace. The Huttese-speaking crowd gasped. The droid translated. But Obi-Wan didn’t need the translation to know that trouble was brewing. He had a very bad feeling about this...

“Why don’t you just confess that your true motive was to steal Tatooine’s slaves, even while pretending to be a friend to Jabba the Great? Did you think he didn’t know?”

And just as the droid was finished speaking, one of the bounty hunters lobbed a thermal detonator at the trio. 

It landed on Anakin’s cloak. In his panic he forgot all his Jedi training and began hopping up and down, shrieking. “Get it off! Get it off!”

Obi-Wan grabbed for the cloak, but he was too late. Dooku, enraged by Jabba and his minions, snatched it off of Anakin and flicked his wrist hard. His intent was merely to get it off of Anakin before it blew up, but as luck--or perhaps it was the Force--would have it, the fiendish device flew across the room and lodged itself firmly in the folds of Jabba’s neck.

Obi-Wan had never heard such a flurry of high-pitched curses as Jabba scrabbled uselessly at his neck, his arms too short to reach the bomb. He calculated the odds of using the Force to help Jabba, and realized immediately that it was too late. He pushed Dooku and Anakin down, and threw out his arms to hold back the explosion with the Force. 

Everyone had run when they’d realized what was happening, but Obi Wan was able to contain its blast radius, and surprisingly enough, no one else was hurt. However, no one got away unscathed. Bits of Hutt had blown everywhere, creating a stinky, slimy mess across the entire room. Obi-Wan lowered his arms and checked to make sure Anakin and Dooku were okay. Then he slowly pulled his robe off of him, holding it arm’s length as a chunk of intestine slid off the bottom. His lip curled.

“Another cloak ruined,” he said.

“Usually you just lose them. You don’t ruin them,” Anakin said helpfully. 

“Well I’m definitely going to ‘lose’ this one too,” Obi-Wan said, and he quickly dropped it. The smell was like nothing he'd ever experienced before, a nightmarish combination of moldering poultry bones and unwashed gym socks. He felt his eyes begin to water.

Dooku, drawing himself to his feet, surveyed the scene of death and destruction and disgustingness. Everyone was milling around aimlessly, gaping at the Jabba parts strewn hither and thither. A gleam appeared in his eye. 

“I claim Toma,” he said in a loud, commanding voice. All eyes swiveled toward him.

“Toma?” someone asked.

“Toma. By Tatooine law, the one who kills a leader has the right to take his place. I, as the person who killed Jabba the Hutt, claim his throne.”

There was much agitated murmuring as everyone discussed the matter. If someone wanted to fight him for the honor they had to declare their intention immediately. As it turned out, the attendees were more interested in a regular paycheck than the dubious distinction of running Tatooine, so there was no dissension. There was also a near-universal desire to get away from the fetid smell.

“The other Hutts may fight you for it,” warned a young Mandalorian bounty hunter, edging toward the exit.

“I’ll take my chances,” said Dooku. And that was how Dooku of Serenno came to be in possession of Tatooine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally made up the "toma" thing, that's not a Tatooine rule. I borrowed the word from Spanish, to mean seizure or taking. 
> 
> Anakin needs a middle name for maximum parental yelling. Maybe it should be George. Anakin George Skywalker! You get back here right now! Hmm.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin forge a new path for Tatooine and its inhabitants.

Two! Two beautiful planets! Ah ah ah!! 

Dooku lost himself momentarily, enjoying the murder, the mayhem, the counting of planets that were his. But just as the dark side was ascending he caught sight of Obi-Wan and Anakin. So naive. So trusting. 

And just like that the darkness receded once more. He sighed, and wrinkled his nose as the exploded Hutt scent penetrated his awareness. He caught hints of Wookie sweat...rotten eggs...tooka urine...

“Come along—” he almost said children. “Let’s get some cleaning droids in here while we figure out what to do next.”

*****

When they emerged from the throne room they found everyone milling around in the antechamber--except for the bounty hunter who threw the detonator, Obi-Wan noted. He thought he heard the sound of a speeder bike in the distance, but knew it wasn’t worthwhile to pursue him. Especially since he had accidentally done them a favor. 

He saw Anakin talking to some of the slaves off to the side, and since Anakin was the only one of them who spoke Huttese, he realized they were going to need the translator droid. Now where had she gone? He tried a couple of different passageways before he found her, pressed tightly into a niche in the wall. She looked a lot like C-3PO.

“Hello there!” he said. “Come here my little friend. Don't be afraid.”

The droid peered carefully out into the hallway before walking toward him. “I am WD-40, Hutt-cyborg relations, at your service.”

Obi-Wan smiled as he turned toward the antechamber, beckoning to WD-40 to follow him. “I am definitely in need of your services. I’m afraid I don’t speak Huttese.” As they walked he added, “That was wise of you to get out of the way when the trouble started.” 

WD-40 made a noise that sounded an awful lot like a sniff. “You don’t last long around here if you don’t know when to get out of the way.”

Anakin came over immediately when Obi-Wan reappeared, slaves--former slaves--in tow. “Master! I’ve called Kitster, he is sending Naleg over!” He tilted his head to the side as he contemplated the droid.

“WD-40, Hutt-cyborg relations, at your service,” she said. Anakin stuck out his hand. After staring at it, the droid responded by extending her own hand. 

“I’m Anakin! Pleased to meet you!” he said, shaking it vigorously. Then they approached Dooku, who had been in close conversation with a Trandoshan bounty hunter.

“Bossk has agreed to help us protect the soon-to-be former slaves,'' said Dooku. “If their one-time masters can’t blow them up, they may attack them in other ways.” He looked at the protocol droid. 

“WD-40,” Obi-Wan supplied helpfully.

“WD-40, can you ask the remaining bounty hunters if they would also like to protect the freed slaves from their former masters? I will pay them handsomely,” he said.

After the droid had translated for the non-Basic speakers, the bounty hunters made a great show of pretending to consider the offer. Finally one spoke, and then they all chimed in. It appeared that as long as they got paid, they were not particular about what the work was.

Dooku nodded regally, and pulled up a map so he could assign them to various slave-owning locales.

Obi-Wan tuned out partway through, considering an idea that had come to him. What if...nah. But maybe… Surely it was worth a try… Finally, he spoke.

“Dooku,” he said, then hesitated. 

“Yes, Obi-Wan?”

“I might have an idea about how to help the former slaves.”

“Oh? I do as well. I will contact my sister Jenza and have her establish a place for them on Serenno,” he said.

Obi-Wan nodded. “That’s very generous. Especially for those who wish to leave here. But there may be some who prefer to stay, and I have an idea that involves Tatooine.”

“Oh?” he said again. This time he focused his attention more fully.

“Long ago, Tatooine had a tropical climate, with oceans and rainforests. You can see evidence of this in the landscape and geology of the planet.” Obi-Wan could see Dooku perk up immediately, but Anakin just looked bored. An inveterate teacher, he turned to the boy. “Anakin, what happens when lakes and oceans dry up over time?”

“Uh...the water disappears?” Anakin snarked, but then he stopped to think it through. “Minerals in the water are left behind?”

Obi-Wan reached out and ruffled Anakin’s hair. “Well done, padawan. I’ve seen what I believe to be salt pans on Tatooine.”

Anakin got excited then. “Is salt valuable? Why didn’t anyone mine it before?”

“There were mining ventures here in the past, but I think they must have been focused on minerals that would provide quick wealth. However, sodium chloride is nothing to be sneezed at,” said Obi-Wan. “There are large areas of halite that could be harvested and sold to cold-weather planets as rock salt. But I believe we might also be able to refine it and sell it as various types of culinary salt. Not to mention you usually find gypsum in salt pans too, which you could harvest as a building material. This would provide gainful employment for anyone who wished it, as well as the money to pay them. No one would get rich off of it, but it would be a comfortable living.”

Dooku stared at him with a sense of wonder. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, that is so simple it’s brilliant. Make it so.”

Obi-Wan blushed and turned to Anakin, who stood beside him, vibrating with excitement. “You heard the man. Let’s make it so.” 

*****

Dooku elected to remain at the palace, with his new trusty sidekick WD-40, to oversee cleaning and slave protection duties. 

“When all the chips have been removed, I will address the planet,” he said, a gleam in his eyes. “And I will contact my sister and set up facilities on Serenno for anyone who wishes to leave Tatooine. Obi-Wan, I’ll rely on you to find a geologist to look at the salt pans and determine their viability. Anakin, you, Shmi, Cliegg, and Owen can begin researching what is required for harvesting, transporting, and refining salt or any other minerals. Feel free to hire offworlders as necessary, and don’t worry about money.”

“Yes sir!” Anakin said with a smart-alek salute. Just as Obi-Wan was set to rebuke him, he rushed up to Dooku and hugged him hard around the waist. Dooku stared at him, dumbfounded, then a very fond smile came over his face as he patted the boy's head. 

“Off you go then,” he said, shooing them away.

Obi-Wan was surprised at Dooku’s reception of Anakin’s impetuous display of affection. He’d always thought of him as rather strict and old-fashioned. Something had definitely changed in him, that much was certain. He tucked the exchange away in the back of his mind to puzzle over later, and instead thought about how to find the people they needed. He also thought about the Sand People. He knew some people liked to say they weren’t sentient, but that wasn’t true. They were going to have to figure out how to negotiate with them.

When they pulled up to the homestead, Obi-Wan put a restraining hand on Anakin’s arm before he could vault out of the speeder and tell his mom, Cliegg, and Owen everything that had happened. “Anakin, when you’re done sharing the news can you sit down with your family and brainstorm about what is going to be required? I’m going to contact someone I know at the University of Coruscant to find geologists and environmental scientists specializing in deserts. We need to make sure any mining we do doesn’t affect the ecosystem negatively. We’ll also need to find engineers who can design refining equipment to function properly in a desert environment. Hopefully we can get them out to Tatooine quickly.”

Anakin, who’d been listening impatiently, barely waited for the words to leave Obi-Wan’s mouth before he shouted “Okay Master!” and was off like a shot, hollering for his mom. Obi-Wan shook his head and smiled. 

He went to the garage and called his contact on Coruscant. It took some time, and a few transfers, before he’d assembled a team to come to Tatooine. 

Finally, it was time for the call he’d been both dreading and anticipating.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi? You it is!” exclaimed Yoda. “Good to hear from you it is! Here with Master Windu I am, having tea we were. Tell us, how are you and Padawan Skywalker?”

“Oh Masters...what haven’t we been doing?” Obi-Wan replied with a laugh. He hadn’t realized how good it was going to feel to talk to them. He wasn’t sure why he’d been hesitant to call, except that he’d been afraid his choice to leave had disappointed them. He needn't have worried.

So he relayed their story, from finding Shmi and her new family, to meeting Dooku, to blowing up Jabba. Their gasps and exclamations were all the encouragement he needed. 

“And I have just gotten off a call with some people at the University of Coruscant. “They’re sending out some experts to see if my guess about the salt pans is correct; and if so, what to do about it.”

“That is quite a story, Knight Kenobi,” said Master Windu, shaking his head. Then he broke out one of his rare smiles. “Well done.”

“Thank you,” he said, with a bow. “Perhaps you’d do us the honor of paying a visit sometime?”

“Love to do that, we would,” said Yoda. “My old padawan I would like to see as well. An interesting twist of fate, this appears to be.” 

“Hmm,” said Obi-Wan. “There’s more to his story than we know yet. But...I believe it is...positive.” Yoda smiled and hummed knowingly.

“However,” continued Obi-Wan, “there is something in the Force. Something...elusive.”

“Meditate on this we will,” said Yoda. “But remember, on the present to remain focused.”

“Yes, Master,” Obi-Wan murmured. “May the Force be with you.”

“And may the Force be with you, Knight Kenobi.” 

*****

Palpatine considered banging his head on the meeting table, but really, he’d rather bang Wat Tambor’s head on the meeting table. They were being frustratingly difficult and resisting his efforts to get them to increase their droid army. He was just thinking he might have to give up on them for now--because he couldn’t kill or even maim them yet--and move along to the Trade Federation, when he felt a disturbance in the Force.

He didn’t like disturbances. Disturbances meant his plans were not going the way they should be. And even worse, disturbances were vague. He fell into a sulk, wondering how to find the source of the disturbance. He felt his ire well up, fueled by impatience and annoyance. One thing was certain--he sure as sith hells wasn’t going to figure it out while he was stuck here. 

In a fit of rage, he leaped up and used the Force to overturn the table, push the chairs over, and spill the Techno Union bureaucrats onto the floor in ungainly heaps. Well that certainly felt better! Then he strode out of the building and back to his ship. He would go to the Trade Federation and see if the source of his disturbance was there. If not, he would return to Coruscant. He would not rest until this disturbance was revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes indeed, that was a Sesame Street reference at the beginning of this chapter, because I love the Count (the count!). If I can fit a cookie monster reference in one day don't think that I won't try it. :) My brain is broken.


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as he had word that all the slaves had been dechipped, Dooku acted quickly and decisively. His broadcast was eloquent and persuasive, laying out how all slaves were now free, and no more slavery would be permitted. There were armed guards stationed to ensure their protection. And anyone who felt otherwise was welcome to leave the planet.

For those who wished to stay, he had a grand plan. 

“We are in the process of launching a mining endeavor that will bring jobs and prosperity for all. This planet appears to be rich in salt, including table salt, as well as in some building materials that are coveted off world,” he announced. He was maybe exaggerating a bit there; all he had was an old geotech report Obi-Wan had managed to dig up, but it was good enough. He felt certain their gambit would work.

“And for those who were enslaved, and no longer wish to remain on Tatooine, we can offer you a home on Serenno; or safe passage to any planet of your choosing.”

The buzz was immediate. The bounty hunters quickly squashed attempts to harm former slaves. Some pirates and smugglers quietly left. Others decided to stick around in case there was money to be made in the new order.

People arrived at Jabba’s former palace in droves, and were categorized efficiently by WD-40. There were a few who wanted to leave the planet immediately. There were those looking for work. And there were those who could lend a hand in the design and construction of mining facilities. For a fee, of course.

“Good thing I already have money to finance all this,” Dooku grumbled under his breath. He wasn’t expecting an answer, and was somewhat startled when one came.

“It is my experience that money facilitates a great many things in life,” answered WD-40 smoothly. Somehow she’d managed to slide up behind him again unheard. He wondered if it would be poor form to get her wet so she squeaked.

He bet Anakin would have a good idea about that.

*****

Anakin, however, was hard at work assembling what they would need to collect, transport, clean, and refine the salt. The Skywalker-Larses concocted a working design based on plans they’d found on the holonet and tweaked to suit Tatooine’s climate, then submitted it to the Coruscanti engineers and minerologists Obi-Wan had hired. They scrounged what parts they could on planet, and ordered the rest. 

Soon there were engineers and specialists everywhere, busy working out the details. However, it turned out there was a sticking point. There were impurities in the salt that made it unusable. 

No wonder earlier endeavors were abandoned.

However, Anakin was sure the Force was in favor of this venture. So he sat down to meditate and work out what to do. Through the Force he was able to get closer into the salt molecules, to see the impurities, to consider how to separate them. When the answer had revealed itself he emerged from his mediation. He was surprised to find it was dark out. He wanted to call the engineers and designers in to begin work, but figured it was too late. Instead he went to a CAD program he had downloaded to his datapad, and began designing. He stopped long enough to eat, but only because his mother made him. He wanted to get down the basics before the idea escaped him.

*****

Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was working with the environmental engineers to make sure they didn’t damage ecologically sensitive places, or harm the lifestyle of the Sand People. The more he learned about them and their history, the more he understood their hostile actions. And, as he had expected, they did indeed have their own language. Unsurprisingly C-3PO was familiar with it, and was able to teach some to Obi-Wan. 

When he felt prepared, he brought them a gift from Dooku, a vessel of water shipped in from Serenno. To it he attached a note that read:

_ To the Sand People: My name is Dooku of Serenno. I have recently assumed control of part of this planet from Jabba the Hutt, and would like to ensure peaceful relations for all as co-inhabitants. As a token of my esteem, and to demonstrate my good intentions, my trusted adviser Obi-Wan Kenobi will deliver to you a series of gifts. _

Obi-Wan watched carefully as they read, to make sure they understood. He recognized the gestures they shared amongst themselves. When they turned to face him he bowed deeply, and spoke to them in Basic, while using their sign language. C-3PO translated into Huttese.

“Greetings!” he intoned, when it was clear they weren’t going to just start shooting. Then he gestured to the transport behind him, which had even more water on it. “I will return tomorrow, at the same time, with another gift.”

He helped unload the water, and hopped back on the transport, which took off immediately. 

He returned the following day, at the same time and place. The Sand People were waiting, and their numbers had grown. This time he had brought banthas.

He repeated his greeting and their peaceful intentions. He slipped away while they were admiring their new herd.

On the third and final day he brought a pearl from the stomach of a krayt dragon. He presented it to the chieftain he recognized as able to best speak for other tribes. The excitement in the air was palpable. Then everyone turned to look at him expectantly. He began signing.

“We plan to begin mining salt from this planet, to sustain the humans who live here. We will respect the boundaries you draw for your land, and will not cross them. If you choose to participate in our endeavors, you will be welcome. If you have grievances, we ask that you address us directly, and do not attack.”

The chieftain must have already guessed his intentions. He didn’t need to talk to any tribal members; they had already discussed and come to a joint conclusion. He signed back, “Welcome.”

*****

In what felt like no time at all, simply because everything had been so busy, they had established their rudimentary mining and refining operations. There were still some kinks to be worked out though. Dooku, Anakin, and Obi-Wan watched as workers attempted to get the pouring equipment working properly.

“Try greasing up the bearings,” Anakin suggested. “That might help unstick it.”

The three swiveled slowly in unison toward the entrance to the facility, warned by the Force. They were being paid a surprise visit by one, two, three...whoa, four. All four remaining Hutts from the Ruling Council. Obi-Wan pushed Anakin behind him, even as Dooku stepped out in front of Obi-Wan.

“Well, hello there,” Dooku said, walking toward the group, which loomed over him menacingly. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

The largest one began speaking in Huttese; and WD-40, always on hand, quickly translated.

“They say this is not your planet. They say this planet is part of Hutt Space, and they intend to reclaim it,” she said.

“Is that right,” said Dooku. “Well, they can try. We’ve put a lot of hard work into this planet, and I claimed it fair and square by the prevailing laws and customs. It’s mine now.”

The Hutts laughed heartily at this naive belief. “Thank you for setting up a money-making venture for us,” the leader said. “We will be taking over now. And you can leave, or you can die.” Some bounty hunters, including the one who accidentally killed Jabba, emerged from behind the Hutts and pointed their weapons at the trio.

Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin were just about to draw their own weapons when there was a loud rumbling and an ear-splitting squeal tore through the room.

“Too much grease!” yelled Anakin, as the container, and all of its salt, came cascading down over them and their guests.

Forewarned by the Force, Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin closed their eyes and covered their mouths and noses, but they could still hear the screams of the Hutts. When they felt it was safe to open their eyes again, they did so cautiously, only to be met by a horrible sight. Apparently, much like slugs, salt drew the water and slime right out of the Hutts. Everyone stared in fascinated horror as the crime lords dissolved painfully.

Obi-Wan tried to cover Anakin’s eyes, but Anakin pulled his hand away. He didn’t want to miss a single disgusting moment.

They watched in silence for a few moments before Dooku spoke up, beaming broadly. “I think this is my opportunity to claim Hutt Space as part of our new enterprise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dooku's empire is growing.
> 
> I’m sure it wouldn’t be that simple to kill Hutts, but...they really do look like slugs, and the idea of them dying like that amused me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad Grandpa makes a questionable decision.

Before Dooku could make the trip to Nal Hutta, he got word that the Hutts were in disarray, fighting each other to assume control. He elected to sit back at a comfortable distance and let them tear themselves apart before he stepped in. 

Hutt Space was quite large, and he had some strategizing to do on how to establish his new regime anyway.

If he’d realized he could effect political change without aligning himself with Sidious he wouldn’t have touched that guy with a 10 meter pole. 

*****

Finally, Dooku deemed it was time to swing by Nal Hutta and establish his government before some enterprising gangs or other hoodlums decided to take advantage of the power vacuum. Tatooine’s new mining operations were shaping up nicely, and the revamped society had progressed enough that it no longer required his constant supervision. No, he could safely leave it in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s capable hands. He brought a small entourage with him, including Naleg, who would be in charge of freeing slaves. 

The population of Hutts was indeed severely reduced, and those who were left quickly gave way when Dooku took out a canister of salt and shook it menacingly. However, the other unsavory characters, all looking to stake their own claims to the planet and to Hutt space, were not as easily cowed, and were busily plotting. He hadn’t been on the planet more than a day before he’d thwarted two assassination attempts, from two rival gangs. He hadn’t realized it would be quite that bad. What a shame he didn’t have his own army of mercenaries to bring order and…

An army.

No, it was way too soon. They weren’t ready. Or were they? Surely it was worth a try. After all, it was for a good cause.

He was glad he’d left Obi-Wan and Anakin behind on Tatooine, to lead in his stead. He didn’t want to have to explain this next part to them.

He turned to WD-40, who was always by his side. “Turn on the holotansmitter, WD-40. I need you to contact Kamino.”

*****

“I know they’re not fully mature or trained yet. I need the most advanced batches anyway,” Dooku explained again for what felt like the hundredth time. He was trying to be patient but he could hear his voice getting sharper. Then he had an idea.

“I’ll pay extra,” he said.

“If you put it that way,” Lama Su conceded.

Everything comes down to money, Dooku thought cynically. He was thankful that he had plenty of it.

“Oh, and one other thing,” he added casually. “I want you to remove all those control chips I asked you to put in.” 

“All of them?” asked Lama Su. “But—“

“I’ll pay for that as well. And no need to add it to future batches.”

“As you wish.”

He briefly contemplated ending production of new clones all together, but considering the droid armies were already being amassed, that might not be a good idea. No, there was no need to allow Sidious to have an army while the other side had none; and there was even less need to allow him to control both sides of the board.

*****

“Dooku, Dooku!” Anakin raced toward him and launched himself for a hug. 

“Anakin, no!” Obi-Wan called out, too late. 

Dooku braced himself and caught Anakin. “I thought I told you to stay on Tatooine,” he said, annoyance warring with pleasure. Their timing was terrible, but it  _ was _ good to see them.

“You did, but we sensed you needed us here,” Obi-Wan replied. “So we set up a vote, and they picked Shmi as their temporary leader.”

Sensed he needed them? That was...disturbing. He decided not to touch that right now. Instead he focused on the part about Shmi. “Excellent. She will be a fine leader, and that will give me more time to devote to getting Hutt Space into shape.” 

And now, how best to get rid of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Having them here was  _ not _ part of his plan.

“What are your plans?” Obi-Wan asked. Well that was eerie. Dooku didn’t realize they were en rapport, and he was so focused on that that he almost missed the next part. “And why are you at the spaceport? Did you know we were coming?”

He blinked. “Yes,” he lied. “Come with me, I’ll take you to where Naleg set up shop.” He put his arms around their shoulders to draw them away, which elicited a surprised look from Obi-Wan. 

However, his efforts were in vain.

“What kind of ship is  _ that? _ ” Anakin asked, staring at a bulbous ship approaching the spaceport. 

Dooku tugged harder, but Anakin resisted, twisting away to get a better look. 

“Come along!” Dooku commanded, but Anakin wasn’t listening. Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest and was now staring at him. 

“What’s going on, Dooku? I’m sensing nervousness from you,” he said.

Dooku drew himself up haughtily, prepared to brazen it out. “I’m here to meet an army I, er, have access to.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “An army? That you have access to? Does Serenno have an army?”

Dooku gestured to the ship. “They will be here momentarily and you can see for yourself.”

Obi-Wan eyed him suspiciously, but waited in silence. Anakin sensed the tension and remained quiet as well. They didn’t have to wait long. 

“What kind of ship is that?” asked Anakin again. 

“It’s from Kamino,” said Dooku. The ship landed, and the hatch opened. A long-necked being came down the ramp, followed by…

“Are those younglings??” asked Obi-Wan, his voice shrill. “You have an army of children???”

“And why do they all look the same?” piped up Anakin.

The little army marched two-by-two behind the Kaminoan, wearing uniforms and holding their helmets under their left arms. They looked to be about Anakin’s age. Now that he saw them it did seem kind of...wrong. 

“They’re clones,” Dooku said, still looking down his nose at Obi-Wan, hoping to intimidate him into silent acceptance. “Sifo-Dyas commissioned them from Kamino. He had visions that the galaxy would descend into war, and so he wanted an army for the Republic.”

Obi-Wan’s jaw was open, a look of sheer outrage and disbelief on his face.

Okay, there was the silence. He was coming to realize that acceptance wouldn’t be as easy to achieve. 

Finally Obi-Wan found his words. “Sifo-Dyas? An army for the Republic? Does the Republic  _ know _ about this?”

Hmm, define Republic, thought Dooku. Instead he drew Obi-Wan aside, and patted his arm placatingly. “This is a very complicated story, and I’m going to have to tell you the rest of it later.  _ Pas devant les enfants _ , you know,” he said, as Obi-Wan gave him a hard stare.

Anakin, meanwhile, trotted right up to the lead clone. “Who are you?” he demanded. “What’s your name?”

“I’m CC-2224,” he replied, saluting. “At your service.”

“My service?” Anakin laughed. “Nah, you can’t just be a number. What’s your name?”

CC-2224 looked at him then, his head tilted quizzically. “Some of my brothers call me Cody,” he said.

“Cody! That’s good, I like it. Now, introduce me to everyone else.”

While Anakin was otherwise occupied, Dooku stepped to the side to talk to the Kaminoan. Obi-Wan stepped with him. 

“500 clones, as agreed. Sign here, please,” said the Kaminoan, handing over a datapad. Dooku signed, grateful that Jango Fett hadn’t delivered them. He might have given away Dooku’s role in all of this, and he wasn’t ready for Obi-Wan to be aware of that yet. Although reluctant to admit it to himself, he very much wanted to maintain Obi-Wan’s good opinion, and he could see that he was already in danger of losing it.

The formalities concluded, the Kaminoan quickly left. Dooku and Obi-Wan made their way to the exit, and Anakin and the clones fell in behind them.

“Do you at least have a place for them to stay?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes, I’ve established barracks for them.”

“And do you have food for them?”

“Yes!” Dooku snapped, brows lowered.

Obi-Wan wasn’t intimidated. “What exactly do you expect them to be doing?”

“I need a deterrent against the criminals on this planet.”

“And you thought an army of clone children were the right answer?” He stared unblinkingly at Dooku. Dooku stared back. Neither said anything.

Finally, Obi-Wan’s patient and silent disapproval was too much. Dooku deflated. It had seemed like a good idea before Obi-Wan had shown up; now, although he was the ruler of multiple planetary systems, he felt like a naughty youngling caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He looked down at the ground and said sullenly, “There’s a lot of resistance here, far more than on Tatooine. I need help to free the slaves and establish work for them.”

Obi-Wan just shook his head and clucked. “Well right now we need to make sure all these children are fed and have a bunk for the night. And after that you are going to explain to me just what in the sith’s hells is going on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dooku's intentions are good, the way he gets there is iffy. That's okay, he has Obi-Wan and Anakin to step in as his conscience.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The young clone army agrees to help them out, and Dooku confesses to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan, confused though he was, knew he needed to stick close to Dooku. The Force felt stirred up and restless, which mirrored Dooku’s feelings--and his own, for that matter.

They arrived at the common area of the barracks, and Anakin began introducing them to the clones. All of the clones. He’d been busy learning everyone’s name.

“This is Bly, and this is Fox, and this is Wolffe, and this is Ponds, and this is Rex, and this is...” 

Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin’s enthusiasm and his impressive recall. The clones may have looked similar but they felt quite different in the Force.

An army for the Republic? Pish Posh. He was going to get to the bottom of this, and Dooku’s role in it, but what to do in the meantime? His attention drifted to Anakin, who was happily telling the clones that he had a brother too, and his name was Owen, and boy would he love to meet all of them... Anakin was a child for sure, but still highly competent. Obi-Wan trusted him to look after himself. Not just himself, others too. Could he ask the same of these clone children? And if he did, could he, Dooku, and Anakin protect them?

Dooku was busy sulking and avoiding Obi-Wan’s eye, so Obi-Wan took it upon himself to address them. He walked to one side of the square and stood at parade rest until a majority of heads swiveled in his direction.

“Despite your tender years you have been summoned here for a noble cause,” he began pompously. “Hutt Space has recently been brought under the auspices of Count Dooku, and it is his mission to free all slaves in his territories. Not everyone wishes to give up this ignoble practice, but as former Jedi--nay, as sentient beings--it is our solemn duty to not only free the slaves but to ensure their safety and to protect them going forward. There will be danger; there will be difficulties; there will be the rough with the smooth. The choice is yours--may we count on your support?”

A resounding huzzah erupted from the clones, and Dooku appeared both grateful and cautious. Smart man.

“And you may say no, of course. Whichever path you choose, whether you assist us or not, you will become citizens of Hutt Space. You will receive schooling, housing, and financial support until you are of age and can determine your own futures.” Silence greeted him this time.

“But Sir, we are being trained to fight for the Republic,” said Cody. 

“And we are going to make sure there is no war for the Republic to fight,” Obi-Wan responded. “That doesn’t mean you and your skills are not valued.”

“Hutt Space is nice,” said Wolffe. “But we were created for the Republic.”

Obi-Wan ground his teeth. Dooku had a lot of ‘splainin to do. He looked over and gave the man a mean smile. “Count Dooku is planning to join Hutt Space up with the Republic.” The clones cheered once more. Dooku frowned. His shields were impressive, but Obi-Wan sensed a tendril of panic. 

Interesting.

At the conclusion of this speech he drew Dooku to an unoccupied tent. Without a word he crossed his arms. He raised his eyebrows. He waited. 

Dooku compressed his lips. He began to pace, eyes on the ground. Finally, he stopped and looked at Obi-Wan, face unreadable.

“What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a dark lord of the Sith?”

“No, that’s not possible,” said Obi-Wan. “The Jedi would sense it!”

“The Dark Side has clouded their vision. Hundreds of senators are now under the influence of a Sith lord called Darth Sidious.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest. He closed it and stroked his beard thoughtfully. He did some pacing of his own, and finally came to a stop before Dooku.

“So Sheev Palpatine is Darth Sidious?” Dooku’s mouth dropped open in sheer surprise, so Obi-Wan continued. “I never liked the man but I confess that surprises me.”

“What! No! Where did you get that from?” Dooku exclaimed.

“Well, you just said the Republic is under the control of a dark lord of the Sith named Darth Sidious. Palpatine is in charge of the Republic. It’s a nice little syllogism. And this clone army...have you stolen his clone army?”

Dooku stared at him in consternation. “You--you--I never--”

Obi-Wan watched him patiently, and finally Dooku gave up and said, “I did not think you’d put the pieces together so quickly. But...you believe me?”

“Of course I believe you. The real question is what are we going to do about it. He obviously can’t be allowed to roam around amassing power unchecked. I assume that’s why you’ve started your own empire and helped yourself to his army?”

“Er....”

Obi-Wan gave him an understanding smile, aware that he’d just handed the man a more palatable motive. “I’m sure there’s far more to the story, but we can go over that later. What we should do now is let the Jedi know. They are in the best position to stop him.”

“NO!” Dooku yelped. “I mean, no, you can’t. It’s, it’s too soon.”

“Too soon?” Obi-Wan watched him carefully, and drew a few conclusions. “As you say. I’ll follow your lead then.”

Dooku let out a pent up sigh of relief and surreptitiously mopped up the sweat that had popped out on his brow.

*****

When they returned to the square, they found Anakin sparring against Cody. Despite Anakin’s connection to the Force and his Jedi training, Cody was holding his own. Anakin was extremely excited. 

“Masters!” he exclaimed when Obi-Wan and Dooku hove into view. “Cody is an  _ awesome _ fighter! Come see!” He bowed to Cody, and Cody bowed in return. They assumed opening stances, and then Wolffe whistled to start the fight. Anakin eventually won, but it was not without considerable effort.

“Most impressive, soldier...er, Cody,” Dooku said. “Most impressive indeed.” 

Cody bowed to him. “We know this isn’t the Republic yet, but we’d like to help free the slaves.”

“We’d be honored to accept your help,” Dooku said. Obi-Wan cut his eyes to him, but at least he didn’t roll them.

*****

During dinner Anakin regaled the clones with tales of how Dooku had vanquished Jabba the Hutt and freed the slaves on Tatooine. They especially enjoyed the part about the flying innards, and unless he was much mistaken, a song appeared to have sprung forth in commemoration. The bits that wafted his way through the mess hall flowed along these lines:

_ Great big gobs of gooey gooey Jabba guts _

_ Ground up Hutt meat _

_ Petrified Zygerrian feet _

Dooku’s nose wrinkled in disgust, but Obi-Wan seemed faintly amused so he kept his opinions to himself. No need to squelch their fun, even if it interfered with proper digestion. He glanced at Obi-Wan again in some disbelief. The man was too smart for his own good. And too trusting. Yet he knew he wanted to earn that trust. His heart felt strangely light.

After dinner was consumed and the novelty of the song had worn off, Anakin trotted over. “Are we removing the slave chips first?”

“That is the intent. We don’t know this planet as well as we know Tatooine though, and the population is much larger,” Dooku said. “And more criminous. We have just begun our undercover work to determine where the largest concentrations of slave populations are and how we could reach them. I’m sure everyone knows we have an army now, but they probably don’t know our ultimate goal, leaving us with the element of surprise.”

Naleg approached with a holomap of the planet. “500 heads are better than one!” Anakin exclaimed, as everyone gathered round. 

They studied population density. They examined the boggy layout, and how that would aid or hinder them. They considered the morality, or lack thereof, of the rest of the population. Some of the clones drifted away to sleep, but a core group remained. 

“I think our best bet is to start in the capital, in this neighborhood by the spaceport, and work our way outward,” suggested Bly, jabbing his finger at the spot. His voice cracked on the last syllable, and his face turned bright red. A few clones snickered, but everyone else pretended they hadn’t heard anything.

Despite the embarrassment, the suggestion was sound. They would have made formidable opponents. Dooku couldn’t help but be glad they were on the same side.

And speaking of the same side, he patted his secret pocket where he hid the Secret Sith Communicator. He was probably late for his check-in with Sidious, so he’d have to take care of that soon. He didn’t want Sidious to get suspicious. However, pat though he may, the secret communicator did not appear to be there. He patted the non-secret pockets. Still nothing.

Obi-Wan was watching him curiously. “Everything alright Dooku?”

“Certainly,” he said haughtily, hiding his concern. “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I appear to have misplaced something. I’m going to check my ship. I’ll be right back.”

When he got to his ship he turned everything upside down, but no luck. He sat in the pilot’s chair and put his head in his hands.  _ Think! Where did you see it last? _

And then he bolted upright. He’d had a call with Palpatine on Tatooine that he’d had to cut short when Anakin and Owen popped in unexpectedly. He’d shoved the comm behind some tools...in their garage. Oh my stars. It was on Tatooine. In the garage. What were the chances anyone would find it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan knows and trusts Dooku this time, so he clued in to what he was saying about Palpatine.
> 
> I picked clones who were commanders and captains, I figured they would be most advanced.
> 
> And does someone else find the communicator? Tune in next time to find out.
> 
> Almost forgot to mention the clones' ages! So, they would actually be really young at this point, like 3 or 4 at the oldest, which would only make them 8 at the oldest with the doubled age. That is not old enough for my purposes, so I've fudged the timeline and made them 6/7, which would make them 12 or 13 with the doubled age. I wanted them to be the same age as Anakin.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dooku and company acquire a new headquarters and Sidious learns of a mysterious new player on the scene.

Palpatine drummed his fingers on his desk. Over the past month he’d visited the Trade Federation and inspired them with a tasty combination of fear and greed. He’d swanned around the Senate and made sure certain planets and sectors understood that nobody in the Republic loved them. He’d toyed with the Jedi, sending them out on a series of wild goose chases, and laughed up his sleeve the whole time. Then he slashed their funding and made it look like the work of Alderaan.

While that was all highly entertaining, he currently had bigger things on his mind. He’d recently gotten word that something unusual was going down in Hutt Space. That some new player had emerged, and had wiped out the Hutts. He had tapped into his sources, and while they confirmed that the Hutts had lost power, they had no information on who the mysterious cloaked--and dashing, some said--figure was who had claimed Hutt Space for their own.

Palpatine was intrigued. He wanted to know more, he MUST know more. Who was this cloaked conniver? Was it someone he could wheel and deal with, and crush later? Or was it a rival, to be crushed now? He was aquiver with anticipation, but when he went to the Force to demand information, all it did was fart in his general direction.

The Force would pay for its insolence one day. In the meantime, he was simply going to have to use more mundane methods of finding out what he wanted to know, and he knew just the fellow to carry out his will. Count Dooku. However, Dooku was on his way to Raxus working on a separatist plot, so he was a no-go for the moment.

He’d just reach out to Black Sun instead, he decided. They had a toehold on Nal Hutta, chances were they would be able to tell him more about whoever had taken out the Hutts.

*****

Dooku crouched behind a low building, clones close at his side. On a rooftop across the street was Obi-Wan and another group of clones. Further down the street and out of his line of sight was Anakin with his clone contingent. Additional groups of clones were stationed strategically around the neighborhood.

They’d decided to start their campaign by taking out Black Sun. They were the biggest rivals to the Hutts on the planet, and also the largest purveyors of slavery. 

Obi-Wan gave a complicated hand signal, then he and the clones disappeared out of sight. Dooku and his small group of soldiers, following the plan, crept toward the back of Black Sun’s hideout. They knew the front was too heavily fortified for a direct frontal assault, so they’d gamed out a multi-pronged approach. Dooku crushed the cameras and drew out his lightsaber, making quick work of their alarm system and their door. 

The guards who had been posted back there clearly hadn’t been expecting any trouble. They looked up in surprise from their game of sabaac.

“What the…” one said, but Wolffe and Ponds pounced. 

Bonk! Bonk! The guards slumped to the floor.

“Are you sure we’re just knocking them out and not killing them?” Wolffe grumbled as he and the other clones trussed the guards up and shoved gags in their mouths. “That’s not what we learned on Kamino.”

“Obi-Wan’s orders,” Dooku said sympathetically as he watched them drag the guards over to a broom closet and stuff them in. “Stun the next batch or we’re going to run out of rope and closets.” 

They crept stealthily through the maze of hallways, taking out cameras, droids, and Black Sunners as they went. Finally, they reached the front entrance, just in time for the next stage to begin.

Three gang members were sitting at a console inside a small office set up with cameras, and were staring at the screen for the front door camera.

“Look, it’s a kid,” one was saying. “What do you suppose he wants?”

“Aww, he’s cute! Look at those big brown eyes!”

The third gangster smacked the second in the back of the head. “Cute?!” 

Then their eyes all swiveled back to the screen, as Cody smiled hopefully and gave them a pinky wave.

“Aww, a pinky wave!” said the second gangster again, earning him another smack. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at the third gangster resentfully. 

The first gangster ignored the other two. “What do you suppose he wants?” she asked. 

“Why don’t you try asking him,” suggested the third gangster sarcastically.

“Don’t be such a dill hole,” she said. Then she flipped on the speaker and said briskly, “State your business.”

Cody opened up his eyes even bigger and fluttered his lashes. “Can I join your gang?” he asked.

“Aww, he wants to join our gang,” said the second gangster, but this time he jumped up and punched the third gangster in the face before he could deliver another smack. They went down hard to the floor, rolling and punching and swearing.

The first gangster sighed and scooted her chair out of the way. “Not again,” she muttered under her breath. Then she said more loudly, “We’re not looking for recruits at the moment, kid.” But then the two combatants were upright again, and the third one lifted the second one up and threw him against the console. All the screens went blank, and alarms started to blare.

Too soon! Dooku thought.

“Too soon!” cried Wolffe.

But then they heard a tentative, “Hello?” It was Cody. Apparently the blow to the console had opened the front door. Dooku took advantage of the gangsters’ surprise to whack them on the back of the head with his lightsaber.

Cody was quickly followed by the rest of his clone contingent, whooping with glee, with Obi-Wan taking up the rear. Obi-Wan smiled cheekily and gave his own pinky wave. Dooku rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re going to be the death of me,” he grumbled. He turned back to the clones. “Ponds, take your group and find their central comm center. Disable it.”

“Yes sir!” Ponds said, saluting happily. 

“Wolffe, you take your group and find their hangar. Disable their vehicles.”

“Just disable?” Wolffe whined.

“Yes, try not to destroy anything. I have an idea. The rest of you stick with me, we’re going to find the main conference room, where the leaders are meeting. We shall render them incapacitated!”

“What?” asked a few clones, looking confused.

“We’re kicking butt and taking names!” translated Bly.

Dooku raised an elegant eyebrow. “As you say.”

“Forward!”

They all rushed for the hallway and ran into each other in the doorway, where they stuck fast.

“Ow!”

“Move!”

“Let me through!”

Dooku used the Force to pluck them out of the way, one by one. “Gentlemen. One at a time.” He sailed through with a jaunty swish of his cape, and headed left, followed by Bly and the rest of his group. 

Obi-Wan, watching with a smile, turned to Ponds. “Mind if I tag along?”

“Yes sir!” he said, saluting smartly. “That would be wizard sir!” They went straight at the fork, with Cody and the rest of Obi-Wan’s group.

That left Wolffe to lead the rest to the hangar. 

“Oh Wolffe,” called out Obi-Wan, who had turned back momentarily. 

“Sir!” said Wolffe, snapping to attention. 

“No need for that,” Obi-Wan said with a smile. “Just wanted to let you know to be on the lookout for Anakin. I suspect he’ll find you first.”

“Yes sir!” he said, but after he’d gone he turned to Fox, who was running alongside him, and asked, “How did he know that?”

Fox shrugged. “Guess he reads minds, like the Kaminoans said.”

“It’s kind of weird. Think it’s something we’ll get used to?”

“Sure, why not!” said Fox, but then there was no more time for talking, because they’d reached the hangar and had to fight their way in. 

They were able to hold their own at first--the gang members were thrown off guard initially by the appearance of all these identical children--but that began to slip. But just as Fox and Wolffe began to worry that they wouldn’t be able to hold up their end of the operation, they heard “Yippeeeeeeee!” from above, and looked up to see Anakin leaping down into the hangar from the open hatch, followed by Rex and the rest of their group who rappelled in after him. That inspired them to fight with renewed vigor, and soon they were able to subdue their opponents.

They rounded up the gang members, and herded them toward the cell block, where they met everyone else. The prisoners were relieved of all their weapons, and in a delightful bit of irony that was lost on no one, were pushed into the cells that usually held slaves.

“Excellent,” said Dooku, striding up and down and stroking his beard thoughtfully. “I believe we’ve found our new hideout, men.” 

*****

Sidious’s attempts to contact Black Sun on Nal Hutta were unsuccessful. He wondered if there was something wrong with their communication system, so he contacted the group’s headquarters on Mustafar. They said they couldn’t raise them either, but that it wasn’t the first time. They were suspiciously evasive about why, and Sidious had the idea that it was an internal issue that he didn’t care to delve into. He was a master planner but even he couldn’t be involved in every detail.

At any rate, they were a dead end, at least for now. He was going to have to try Dooku after all. He wasn’t due to check in yet, but that was irrelevant.

He went to his secret back room in his office, and donned his black cloak. He drew up the hood and dialed.

“Hello my apprentice,” he said and then stopped short. It wasn’t Dooku who answered. It looked like a young Jedi, with short hair and boring beige clothes.

“Hello? Who is this?” asked the boy.

“Who is this!” Palpatine demanded.

“I asked you first,” said the boy. “Did you know that hood makes your nose look huge?” 

Palpatine stared angrily for a moment, confused that someone would dare speak to  _ him _ in such an impertinent fashion. He considered choking the boy from afar, but decided he needed to find out exactly who this child was, and why he had Dooku’s top secret Sith Comm.

“You will tell me your name,” Palpatine intoned, drawing on the Force to make the boy talk.

“No, I don’t think so. Maybe you should try offering me candy,” suggested the boy.

“What do you mean you don’t.... Candy?” Palpatine repeated, nonplussed.

“Isn’t that what kidnappers always offer their victims?”

As Palpatine sputtered, the boy added, “Anyway, my dad said not to talk to strangers,” and hung up.

Palpatine stifled an enraged shriek, crushed the transmitter, then shattered a few priceless objects that decorated his shelves. Dooku was up to no good. He’d suspected it for awhile, and this was proof. Why had a child answered his Sith Comm? Had Dooku taken his own new, rude apprentice? Was  _ he _ the source of the disturbance in the Force?

If Dooku couldn’t be reached by ordinary means, Palpatine would employ extraordinary means. He sank down upon the floor and reached out to the Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, Owen found the comm, and Sidious is about to go on a wild bantha chase. 😊
> 
> The “fart in your general direction” bit is from Monty Python’s Holy Grail.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jango Fett goes on a hunt.

Darth Sidious found himself struggling in his efforts to use the Force to find Dooku. The Force was misbehaving like an overexcited toddler on Life Day. It frolicked like a flying unicorn barfing puppies and kittens. It gleamed like a bald man’s waxed dome at high noon on Tatooine. It oozed a sticky sweetness that threatened to trap him forever like a fly in honey. In other words, it was being clouded by the light side, and it was absolutely disgusting. 

He would not take this lying down! Especially not in a meadow with soft breezes and beautiful flowers...arrgh!! Crushing a few hapless droids tamped down the revolting treacle for the moment, but what he really needed to do was act. He needed to be swift, merciless, and cruel. He had to root out the disturbance at the source.

When you want something done right you have to do it yourself. However that was not possible right now. It was budget negotiation season for the Republic, a time that he ordinarily relished it because it allowed him to pit planets and systems against each other in the search for financial resources. This year it was nothing but a hindrance. Everyone would notice if he disappeared right now, so he had to find someone who could go in his place. But who...

It would be highly amusing to trick the Jedi into conducting the search for him, but that left too much to chance. No, he needed someone who was a peerless hunter, who was motivated enough by profit just to do the job and not ask questions.

And he knew just the man to enlist.

*****

When Jango Fett saw he had a message on his secret comm channel, he was pleased. Messages on that channel always meant high-paying jobs, and if there was anything he liked it was the opportunity to acquire more filthy lucre. He was a simple man making his way in the galaxy, after all.

However, when he called the number back he got a rude shock.

“You want me to track down  _ who? _ ” he asked incredulously.

“Darth Tyranus!” snarled the cloaked man. “Do not make me repeat myself!”

The last thing Jango wanted to do was get into the middle of a disagreement between those two. He’d only seen this guy once before, but he knew a dangerous person when he saw one. He and Tyranus were both bad news. But since he wanted to live, he held his tongue. 

“Do you have his last known coordinates?” he asked, resigned.

“Tatooine. He was on Tatooine.”

*****

Jango rolled up to Mos Eisley and almost didn’t recognize it. Space traffic around Tatooine was unusually busy, and things only got weirder when he landed. The space port was bustling with trade and new construction and...dare he say it? Respectability. He shuddered. 

He sauntered into a bar to find someone to extract information from. The last time he’d been to Tatooine it was a smugglers’ paradise and a haven for gangsters. What had changed? But when he asked after Darth Tyrannus no one knew who he was talking about. 

He didn’t have a picture but it turns out he didn’t need one. A quick description was all it took.

“Tall, white hair, looks rich? That sounds like Count Dooku! He took over from the Hutts and freed all the slaves. He’s not here right now, he organized a vote for a local leader and then took off,” the helpful bartender told him.

Jango was glad he had his helmet on, so they wouldn’t see the disbelief on his face. Took over the planet? From the Hutts?  _ And then organized a vote?  _

“And who might this local leader be?” he asked after a beat.

“That would be Shmi Skywalker. You’ll probably find her at Jabba’s old palace.”

Jango marched grimly back to the spaceport and up the ramp into Slave I. He didn’t think the Hooded Man was going to like this news very much. Better gather more intel before he reported anything.

*****

Flying across the desert to the palace was interesting, to say the least. He saw mining operations set up at different locations, and a network of tracks for hauling supplies. Why hadn’t the Sand People destroyed them?

When he got to the old palace, well, that had changed too. There were now tents around the outside, and canopies extending off the sides of the building to offer shade. Windows were opened, with thick adobe screens covering them to allow fresh air but keep the interior cool. He set his ship down on a landing platform that had been created, and that was busy with ships and speeders of all sorts, coming and going. 

Under one of the tents, seated behind a low table, was a middle-aged human woman with brown braids wrapped around her head. There was a line leading up to her, so he assumed this must be Skywalker. He thought about pushing his way to the front, but decided that would call too much attention to him, so he just got in behind the Weequay, waited his turn, and eavesdropped with all his might.

Many of the people were asking for jobs. Some seemed to want advice. There were other tables set up nearby, and she directed people on as required. Jango had to admit he was intrigued. Somehow these people had brought order to a lawless place. Not just order, prosperity too. 

Finally it was his turn. “I’m looking for Count Dooku,” he said in a low voice, trying to reduce the number of people who could hear what he was saying. It was a wasted effort.

Skywalker raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Well, he’s not on planet. He hasn’t been here for awhile.”

“Do you know where he is?” Jango asked. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the looks he was getting. He suspected people wouldn’t take kindly to him doing anything to their...liberator.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” Skywalker said. Her voice was kind but wary. She could tell he was a bounty hunter. “He hasn’t been here for awhile, and I haven’t spoken with him either.” She appeared to be telling the truth, but even if she hadn’t it wouldn’t have mattered. Out of the corner of his eye he could see people’s postures shifting, ready to defend their leaders. It was time to move on.

“Thanks. I may be back,” he said, then sauntered back to Slave I. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him and entered the ship perhaps a bit more quickly than he ordinarily would have. He didn’t like the odds.

Once he got in his ship he entered Dooku’s name into the computer and let out a low whistle. That guy used to be a Jedi! That was the last thing he needed, Jedi trouble. However, the computer also revealed that he was the head of a planet called Serenno. He decided to try there next.

*****

He was sweating when he stood in front of Countess Jenza of Serenno, Count Dooku’s sister. Serenno was the snootiest planet he’d ever been on, and the countess was the worst. He hadn’t intended to see her at all, but he must have asked the wrong person the wrong question, because the next thing he knew he was in a “hotel” where he’d been escorted by “friends”.

No point playing coy now, so he’d asked to see her. A messenger finally returned to say she was busy and she could see him next week. He would have protested but the guards were mean buggers, which he’d found out the hard way. Finally his appointment time came, and he was escorted to one of the biggest palaces he’d ever seen in his life. Once there, she still left him to cool his heels for a good hour past his meeting time.

Finally he was allowed inside, and the throne room was even more obnoxiously grandiose than the rest of the palace, which had been decked out in marble and gilt and frescoes of naked baby angels as far as the eye could see. 

He stumped his way up to her jewel-encrusted throne, which was perched high upon some jewel encrusted steps. On her head was a jewel-encrusted crown, and she was dripping in silks and satins and furs. She stared down at him from her perch as though he were a Rodian slug. He had the feeling that even if she’d been standing in front of him, and he was taller, she would still be looking down her nose at him. She was just that sort of person.

“How may I help you, bounty hunter?” she asked disdainfully.

He fought to hide his snarl. He’d taken off his helmet because the guards had insisted. He managed a sickly smile. “I am looking for your brother, Count Dooku. No one seems to know where he is.”

“And why would you be looking for him?” 

“We’re old friends,” Jango sneered. “I was hoping to catch up.”

“Insolent liar!” she cried. “He would never be friends with a creature such as you!”

“I’ve had just about enough out of you lady!” he yelled, but that was the last thing he said because he was set upon by guards and someone bonked him on the head.

*****

When Jango awoke he found himself at the edge of the forest outside the palace. Spine wolves slunk in the shadows nearby. 

He leaped to his feet, happy to find they’d left him in his armor. He even still had a small pistol embedded in his boot. He went as quickly as possible back to the safety of town, evading the wolves and cursing Jenza, Dooku, Serenno, and the Hooded Man roundly. If any of them appeared in his path he’d choke them by the neck until they were dead.

However no one appeared in his path, and he eventually limped his way back to his ship. He was relieved to find it was still there, and it appeared untouched. He allowed himself a moment to sit inside it and just breathe deeply. Then he popped back out of Slave I and searched it for explosive devices. Finding none he went back to the console and fired up his ship. He remembered now that the bartender on Tatooine had said Dooku had killed the Hutts, plural. He hadn’t given this information enough attention at the time, but he’d had time to think about it during his imprisonment on Serenno. 

The capital of Hutt Space was Nal Hutta. He kind of didn’t care if he found Dooku there. He’d just be happy to have the opportunity to get drunk at one of the many bars, and possibly stay that way for a week.

*****

When he finally arrived on Nal Hutta, he was running on fumes. He hadn’t thought to check his fuel before leaving Serenno, and those assholes had damaged his fuel gage. He’d barely made it to the Abrion System, where he docked on The Wheel and was able to get someone to repair it at some seedy salvage operation. 

Seedy was the right word for them. They’d gypped him, and he’d had to make another emergency stop for repairs. It was at least another week before he made it to Nal Hutta. He was past the point of being angry, and had become resigned. Fate was not on his side with this endeavor.

He walked down the ramp of Slave I, and saw that his formerly favorite pub now sported the name “Anakin’s Candy’s”. In smaller letters below it said, “If you didn’t get it at Anakin’s you paid too much.” 

Candies? Maybe they meant drugs. Unable to help himself, he walked in the door, and what to his wondering eyes should appear but...candies. Actual candies. With a soft serve ice cream machine, a cotton candy machine, and a soda fountain. Even worse there were actual children in the place. 

He quickly backed away. Once outside he leaned against a wall and looked around. Not a prostitute in sight. Not an obvious gangster in sight. He closed his eyes and sighed. What was happening?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jango being left outside is based on what happened to Dooku as a baby--left outside in the forest with spine wolves.
> 
> The Wheel is the one from the Lego Freemakers shows.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jango learns he is no match for his own clones or the Jedi, and Dooku realizes he can't hide much longer.

Jango stood against the wall for who knows how long, staring at the candy store with unseeing eyes. Finally, something penetrated his fog. Those kids. What was it about those kids…

Suddenly everything clicked. Those were CLONES. HIS clones! What the sith were they doing on Nal Hutta? He started walking toward them when they noticed him as well.

There were nudges and flurries of movement, and then they started walking toward him. They didn’t look terribly friendly, but then again they didn’t look dangerous either.

He meant to finesse the situation, but the one out in front of the group spoke before he had a chance.

“What are YOU doing here?” the stripling demanded. Jango had to admit he’d never bothered to learn anyone’s name except for Boba. He had no idea who this kid was.

“I might ask you the same question,” Jango replied, going for a smile. It must not have reached his eyes, because the menace level ratcheted up a couple of degrees.

Their leader smiled a mean smile. “We asked you first.”

Jango opted for the truth. “I’m looking for a man named Tyranus.” At everyone’s blank looks he decided to try the guy’s real name. “He also goes by Dooku.” 

There was a flash of recognition. Aha. He  _ was _ behind this. What was the man up to? And was it worth it to incur the wrath of Sidious? Because when Sidious found out about this he was going to kill them all, and not in a rhetorical sense. 

“Seen him lately?” Jango asked casually, as though it was no great importance. The clones weren’t fooled. Of course they weren’t. Wasn’t it his own suspicious DNA staring back at him? 

The leader stepped forward. “Sure we have. Why don’t you come with us, we’ll take you to him.”

Jango backed up a step. “Why don’t you just tell me where he is?”

“Too hard to explain,” said another clone, standing by the leader. His hair was bleached yellow. “Come on, we’ll take you there.”

The others stepped forward as well. “Yes, come with us,” they said, reaching toward Jango. 

He slapped their hands away, eyes narrowed. “No one touches this armor,” he said.

“We only want to take you to Master Dooku,” said another brightly, coming to stand next to him. 

This was NOT going as he’d planned. Okay, he hadn’t had a plan, and even if he had, he never would have expected this. He drew out his pistol. “Back off, ankle biters,” he snarled. “You’re going to lead me to Dooku. And no funny business.”

“Oh, that was rude,” said the yellow-haired one, tsking and shaking his head sadly. “I’m afraid you’ve hurt Cody’s feelings. He might not want to take you to see Master Dooku now.”

Jango swung toward him and fired off a shot. The kid dove out of the way, but not quick enough, and he slumped to the ground, stunned. Jango thought that would be a sufficient warning, but he was mistaken. 

“Get him!” yelled the leader--Cody--and suddenly Jango was overwhelmed by a wave of small, angry clones, who swept over him and knocked him ass over teakettle. The last thing he saw before his head contacted painfully with the pavement was Tyranus Dooku, standing in the distance with a look of surprise on his face.

*****

When Jango awoke he had the mother of all headaches. He lay there for a few moments, staring at the ceiling and trying to make sense of the world. Finally everything came back into focus. His hunt for Tyranus and the series of disasters that befell him at every step. The confrontation with the clones--his clones!--was simply the straw that broke the bantha’s back. He was done, d-o-n-e. He needed to get out of here. He would go back to Kamino, pick up Boba, and take off for parts unknown.

He sat up and checked for his weapons. Gone. All of them. He looked at his communicator. Mashed flat. Must have happened when they body-slammed him. 

On the positive side, he was not bound in chains, or manacles, or even a rope. So he marched to the door, and tried it. It was locked. He didn’t get shocked when he touched it though, so there was that. 

Pretty flimsy, if you asked him. What kind of pansy prison was this anyway? The bed had been soft, there was a table with a carafe of water on it, there was even a small window with a lacy curtain. He was sure he could break out of there in no time. 

However, that was not the case. Jango spent the next hour trying everything he could think of to escape, but nothing worked. The door was metal. The walls and ceiling were masonry of some sort. The floor concrete. The window was thick plastic, not glass. Nothing was breakable. He finally sat back on the bed in a huff. He would just have to wait for someone to come to him, and then he’d show them…

Just then he heard the rattle of a key, and the door swung open. Too late to allow him to hide, or even assume a posture of defense. So he just glared. And then he blinked. 

“Hello there,” said the man, who shone and sparkled and gleamed and was far too beautiful to be real. Jango blinked again, and then he scowled. He was locked up by this...by this...by this--supermodel? Hells no. He was getting out of here, and he was kicking this pretty boy’s teeth in on his way out the door.

He stood up and stepped toward his jailer, and then he realized this guy must be a Jedi. When he wasn’t being blinded by white teeth and coppery hair, he noticed the laser sword. Kriff. Maybe he could bluster his way out.

“Why am I being held?” he demanded. 

The man smiled and nudged Jango out of the way so he could set down the tray of food he was carrying onto the small bedside table. Then he turned and extended a hand. “Hi, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. You must be Jango Fett.”

Jango declined to take his hand, and instead crossed his arms over his chest. “I said, why am I being held? I’m leaving.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Obi-Wan Kenobi said conversationally. And suddenly Jango was sitting again. He wasn’t quite sure how that had happened. “Cody tells me you were looking for Master Dooku, by another name. May I ask why?”

“No, you may not,” Jango replied angrily. Then he had an idea, one that he hoped would cause dissension and chaos and allow him to escape. “Why don’t you ask him? I bet he knows.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, thank you. Of course you’re right.” He swept out the door, closing and locking it behind him. Jango swore loudly. The door had been sitting open the whole time and he’d just sat there like a big dope! It was all that Jedi’s fault, he must have hypnotized him with his evil Jedi ways.

*****

Dooku was hiding out in the storage room of the candy store. It was owned and run by a former slave (and named in honor of Anakin’s penchant for sweets), but since he’d helped them get their start, he had been told he was welcome anytime. He hoped that meant he was also welcome to lurk in the back. He figured no one would think to look for him in there. 

Not that he called it hiding out--no, he was meditating. 

And by anyone, he really meant Obi-Wan and Anakin. He didn’t want them to know about Tyranus and the things he had done as Tyranus. He had come to depend on their good opinion of him, and he dreaded losing it. How foolish. As both a Sith and a Jedi, he should have been supremely indifferent to the opinions of others.

Suddenly he sensed the presence of another. He sighed and his shoulders drooped.

“How did you find me?” he asked. He kept his eyes closed.

Obi-Wan sat across from him, cross-legged. “I’ll admit, it did take me awhile. But you forget that my padawan is an escape-artist extraordinaire. I’m used to playing hide and seek.”

Dooku sniffed and tilted his nose up in the air. “I am  _ not _ hiding,” he said. “I merely wanted some peace and quiet. To meditate.” 

“Mm-hmm,” said Obi-Wan. And then he was quiet. So quiet that Dooku finally opened his eyes and looked. Obi-Wan’s own eyes were closed.

Dooku was about to speak, to justify his actions, but Obi-Wan held up a finger. “Shh,” he said. “We’re meditating.”

Dooku squirmed, but closed his eyes again. However, he was unable to resume a meditative state. How irksome! He peeked, and saw Obi-Wan floating peacefully above the ground. Show off. He opened his mouth, and Obi-Wan held up his finger again. 

Well! Dooku almost got up and flounced away, but shame kept him glued to his spot. If there was any chance for Obi-Wan to forgive him, he knew he couldn’t leave. He reluctantly closed his eyes and tried again. He guessed he would stay here all day if he had to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jango!


End file.
